Dimensions Part 1 & 2
by The MOUSE
Summary: AU(sort of)-Sakura and Syaoran are older, but they haven't yet caught all the cards. And two are about to give them the hardest test of their lives.
1. Default Chapter Title

16 October, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions" 

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

Saturday.

The young Chinese boy frowned in ever growing annoyance at the dark haired girl walking at his side, cooing and batting her eyes at him, twirling her fingers in fake nervousness in the pleats of her knee length skirt. He growled under his breath, wishing he could just jump on his bike and ride away really fast, but he was far too polite to do anything as such. Instead he endured silently, like always.

Li Meilin Rae could be a real pest when she acted upon her never waning infatuation for Li Syaoran, youngest warrior and sorcerer of the Clow Reed Clan and her Cousin. Years ago, as a child does to a best friend sometimes, he had told her he promised he would marry her. As the years passed he began to regret having given her that promise. Later he had been given his first magical tool, a Laizen Board, a tool used for seeking objects or answers. As always, Meilin had hovered around him like a typical love stricken eight year old, asking countless questions in hopes of getting an answer from the board, not knowing that one needed magic in them to make the board respond. While she did this, Syaoran had thought up his own question for the board.

__

Who's the most annoying girl I will ever meet?

The board had reacted, even if he hadn't really meant to get an answer, and shot a magical beam of light at a delighted Meilin. Just as he had thought up his question, she had asked who Syaoran would really wed when he would be older. She had believed the board had answered her. Back then, Syaoran had never had the heart to tell her the truth about that incident or their betrothal, but he was sorely tempted to do so now, tightening his hands on his bike's handlebars to keep his cool.

"Please, oh please, Syaoran?" she begged him for the umpteenth time that morning. "Please, teach me how to use magic and capture Clow Cards? I promise, I can do a thousand times better than Kinomoto ever could hope of doing. Please, teach me?"

Syaoran smiled inwardly at the jealousy he heard in her voice at the mention of Kinomoto, but outwardly he kept his frown. "Meilin, magic and card capting isn't a game that can be taught just like that. It takes years of hard practice." Part of him wanted to ride away... _fast!_

"Kinomoto is being taught by Kero." she countered in a near whine.

"Not taught. Guided. There's a difference. She already knows how to innately use most of her magic. Sakura just needs help to bring out the rest."

Meilin growled. "You're always defending her!"

He was about to reply when a strange feeling rushed over him. A tingling sensation, pleasant, undeniable. He always got this feeling when... Syaoran looked around quickly for the source of the feeling when he noticed an auburn haired girl, roughly his age, rollerblading just ahead of them, skating ever so slowly as if she had no place to get to. She wore tight, black biking pants that only went as far as her knees and a white windbreaker over a red top. A backpack was slung over her shoulders. A helmet with matching knee and elbow pads completed the look. Her bright green eyes were downcast, staring at nothing, lost in a thought. Syaoran blinked.

"Sakura?" he questioned in a near whisper.

As if the girl had heard his whisper from so far away, her head jerked up, her eyes fixing on them both. For the briefest moment Syaoran thought he had seen something akin to sadness and exhaustion in her indescribable green eyes, but it vanished as soon as she forced a smile at the two, picking up a little speed and skating towards them.

"Hi, guys." she greeted in a forced smiling voice.

Meilin frowned. "Kinomoto." she returned simply, coldly.

Kinomoto Sakura didn't seem to mind the tone. She turned to smile at Syaoran only to find him regarding her carefully, his perpetual frown doing nothing to hide the concern in his amber eyes. She blinked, despite herself. Somehow he had always known when something was bothering her. She noted to herself how much better he looked in his weekend clothes than his school uniform. Blue jeans and a black T-shirt under an open white shirt suited him so well.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

She averted her eyes quickly. "It's... it's nothing."

"Sakura..."

She blinked. Syaoran didn't use her name very often, but it was something in his voice that made her look up at him. Concern? His deep eyes fixed her where she stood. One look from him could usually convey whole volumes. When Sakura had first met the young warrior in her Fourth Grade class she had thought him a little cold, but had chalked it up to him being the new kid and had made it her duty to become his friend, without much success then. She later found out he too was after the Clow Cards, but for the reason that they were his by blood right. She had despised him then for his arrogance and strong self-confidence. But little by little those feelings changed to the point where she enjoyed and looked forward to competing with him for the cards. He was always a great help. Under that hard exterior she could tell he was gentle and had an incredible capacity to care. Syaoran was her secret crush, even if that description was becoming woefully inadequate as the days and years passed. But she would never be able to act on her feelings for him. The Li Clan elders betrothed him to his Cousin, Meilin, something that she knew wasn't very easy to break.

She finally sighed in defeat under his steady gaze. "I had a pretty terrifying vision last night." she finally admitted, noting Syaoran stiffen slightly. "I'm still trying to figure out what it was all about... what little I can remember."

"Didn't you ask _the stuffed animal_?" There was worry in his voice, and confusion that she didn't remember most of her vision. She _always_ remembered.

An almost invisible grin touched her lips at him calling the Guardian Beast of the Seal, Kero, a stuffed animal. Those two were always competing with each other for some reason. "Hai, I asked him, but he's just as confused about it as I am." She shrugged at a loss. "Too many meanings can be given." Syaoran caught her casting a quick glance at Meilin before she continued. "And the more time goes by the less of it I remember. It's like there's something in me that knows what it all means, but it doesn't want me to know or figure it out. The more I think about it, the more it hurts."

Meilin smirked evilly. "Thinking hurts? Geez, Kinomoto, I knew you were baka, but to that point?" and she laughed, looking to Syaoran for approval.

She found none, just a deeply angered glare, which promptly silenced her. Before Syaoran had learned she was the Card Captor, he had thought Sakura was cute. She was just so open and innocent, caring for everyone around her before herself. And he had sensed her powers immediately. She had strong magic within her. He then resented her for finding the Book of Clow before he could and accidentally releasing the cards, but that resentment soon turned to sympathy with the more time he watched her and got to know her. She didn't know how to fight at all and had the hardest time controlling the incredible powers she had inherited from becoming the Card Captor. He decided to take it upon himself to help and protect her at that point. The sympathy soon turned to admiration for her struggle and determination to finish the near impossible task that had been forced on her. She became one of his best friends. And finally, years after having first met this green eyed beauty, Syaoran felt the admiration shift to great affection. He loved her. But Meilin made his feelings for Sakura hard to act on. She always hovered nearby, keeping him from telling Sakura how he felt.

He looked away from the dark haired girl and back to the Card Captor. "Do you want to remember this vision?"

Sakura nodded. "I need to know more about it, when to expect it to happen... so I can stop it from ever happening."

Syaoran blinked. Something in the way she spoke about the vision told him she did remember it, she just didn't want to say anything about it out loud just yet. Why? Was it because Meilin was there? He cast a quick indicating glance at Meilin in a silent question. Sakura nodded imperceivably in confirmation. His frown softened slightly. So, he had to ditch Meilin somehow so she could tell him about this terrifying vision. Easier said than done.

"I know of a spell that can help you remember the details. At the same time it'll let me see the vision as you're remembering it. Maybe I can help you figure out the meaning to it and which Clow Cards are involved."

She blinked, her eyes momentarily going wide as she just stared at him. "How..." she began.

"Experience." he near smirked. "You always have visions about Clow Cards."

A small smile began to turn up the corners of her lips and Syaoran felt a blush begin to warm his cheeks. A smile from her was often all it took to make him go weak in the knees.

"Sometimes, Li, I think you know me too well." Sakura chided playfully.

He shrugged. "We're near the park. We can go there."

"Right, just let me get my bike." Meilin stated.

Syaoran frowned at her. "Who said you were coming with us? This spell needs only two people and absolute quiet. We can't have it with you around."

She frowned back, defiant. "I am not leaving you alone with Kinomoto for anything. Who knows what she might try." she countered, causing a faint blush to color Sakura's cheeks. "I'm going with you and you can't stop me. You can't hide from me either and you know it." and she quickly whirled around to run the block back to her house to fetch her bicycle.

"Wanna bet." Syaoran muttered. "If we move really fast we can get to the park and hide before she comes back." he told the Card Captor.

She blinked and smirked. "You make it sound like a secret _rendez-vous_, but okay."

He quickly got on his bicycle, ignoring her comment. "Hang on to the back."

She did as told, taking hold of the support bar under the bike's seat. She nearly fell over when he abruptly took off like a shot. With Sakura hanging on to the back of his bike for dear life, Syaoran raced through the narrow residential streets and over the crest of a long, downhill slope. He let their combined weight and momentum speed them down the hill in record time. Just ahead he spotted the carved stone gateway that marked one of the park's entrances.

"Hard left!" he called back to her over the sound of rushing wind.

"Got it!" she answered, letting go of the bike.

Both executed a perfect ninety-degree turn through the park's gate, startling a few pedestrians as they passed by so quickly. Sakura waved a smiling apology to them all, then skated hard to catch up to Syaoran who had gotten ahead of her. She saw him look back at her, as if making sure she still followed, then did something so completely out of character that it near shocked her. He reached a hand back towards her, beckoning her closer. She suddenly found herself reaching for the offered hand and blushed as she felt its warmth close around her own hand. He pulled her forward until she skated even with his shoulder, placing her hand securely on the center of his bike's handlebars.

"You okay?" Syaoran questioned in concern, noting her flushed cheeks and the slight fatigue in her features.

Sakura began to laugh. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

He actually chuckled. "Maybe later. Right now we have to disappear before Meilin finds us."

She looked at him strangely. "You really do know, don't you?"

"We've been partners in this too long for me not to know when you don't want someone to hear something."

"So where exactly are we going?" she smirked.

"A place I know. It's quiet and not easy to find."

"Which leaves me to wonder how you ever found it."

He winked. "Trade secret."

"Hey, it's my trade too, you know." she grinned.

"I know, but I'm better at it."

"_**Kinomoto! You better not be anywhere near my ****Syaoran**** or else!**_" a voice screeched across the park.

Both Syaoran and Sakura nearly lost their balance in shocked surprise, stopping at a small stone bridge to look back down the path they had followed. He thought he saw apprehension in Sakura's eyes as she scrutinized her surroundings.

"Wow, she can sure project her voice." she quipped lamely, her voice trembling slightly.

Syaoran frowned back down the path. "Doesn't she ever give up?" he questioned no one in particular.

"**_Syaoran_****? Oh, ****Syaoran****? Where are you, ****Syaoran****? ****Syaoran****?**" Meilin sing-songed over and over again, her voice getting louder as she got closer.

Sakura turned away from the path in time to see Syaoran lowering his bike over the side of the bridge into the thick reeds below. All it took then was a look from him for her to understand his intent. Just as Meilin's voice came even closer, the card capturing duo jumped over the stone railing to the stream soaked ground below. Not having had the time to remove her rollerblades, Sakura felt her blades sink into the soft ground slightly, making her topple over against Syaoran crouching at her side. He merely covered her mouth with his hand to silence her before she could apologize, keeping an arm around her waist to keep her still and steady. She blushed fiercely and swallowed hard, unconsciously closing her eyes. His arm felt so warm around her, the skin of his hand smelling like autumn leaves. Syaoran's attention was split. Part of him was attentive to Meilin's approach, cautious not to make any noise to alert her of their location. The other part was completely engrossed in the feel of Sakura's back pressed to his chest and the faint odor of heather and cherry blossoms from her hair. He was sorely tempted to bury his face in her auburn locks, but fought the feeling back. On the bridge above them passed a raven haired Chinese girl on a bicycle, calling out Syaoran's name and cursing Sakura's. They watched her disappear on the other bank and sighed in relief.

"What did I do to her to make her hate me so much?" Sakura questioned the silence softly.

"You talked to me." Syaoran answered as he reluctantly moved away from her to his bike.

"So?"

"So, to Meilin and her twisted little world, that's all it takes to label you a threat. I think she's jealous of you."

"Jealous? Of me? But... why?"

He shrugged slightly. "You might want to change out of your rollerblades, the ground's pretty soft around here. You risk getting stuck." he told her, hoping to change the subject.

It didn't work. "Really, Li, why would she have any reason to be jealous of me?"

He paused, watching her balance perfectly on one blade of her skates to change footwear, then sighed. "Because you're the Card Captor."

Sakura looked up at him from putting on her other sneaker. "She wanted to be the Card Captor?"

"No, she wanted me to be it, that way she could tag along in a more... _official_ way."

"I don't understand."

"Cotton fluff never explained all of this to you in detail, did he? Okay, c'mon, I'll explain on the way. Meilin might still spot us here." and he easily picked up his bike and laid it on his shoulder as he began to walk along the stream's bank. "You can ask the stuffed animal if this is right later. But legend has it that when Clow Reed created the Clow Cards he made it so there could only ever really be two people at the very most, a male and a female, who could catch and control the cards: The Card Captor and a back-up."

"You are hardly my back-up, Li." she countered with a smirk as she sidestepped a frog.

"Maybe, but as it is it's only supposed to be you and me catching the cards since I'm the last descendent of the Clow Reed Clan and you released the cards making you the Card Captor. Tomoyo's okay since she's only videotaping what's going on, though I still think there has to be a rule somewhere that says she can't."

"Then you try to tell her that. When she sets her mind on something, nothing will change it." she retorted ruefully.

He frowned in defeat. "You'd think she would've given up taping by now. We must have cost her a fortune in tapes."

"That's just a small dent in her family's finances."

"Anyway, Meilin doesn't have any magic so she can't catch or use the cards. And, even though she's an amazing fighter, she only really gets in the way. We either end up saving her or she gets seriously hurt. Fighting a human and fighting a Clow Card is very different. The thing is if I had become the Card Captor then, to protect her, I would've transferred all my old magic to her and she would've become my back-up. I think that's part of the reason she's so jealous of you. You and I form a team in this and she knows she doesn't have a right to be a part of it."

"And the other part of it is she thinks she's going to lose you through the cards. Poor Meilin. She should have more faith in you. Afterall, you're her fiancé--"

He stopped dead in his tracks. "No, I'm not." he muttered adamantly.

Sakura blinked. "But... she said...?"

"I was five when I promised I'd marry her. I had no idea what I was really doing or saying. About a year before I came here I went to the Council of Elders to have that promise dissolved. I told them that no one that young should be bound to a promise they didn't fully understand. They actually agreed. Meilin doesn't know yet." and he began walking again.

"You don't want to break her heart."

He nodded silently. "She's a good friend, despite being so annoying."

"They you'll have to tell her sometime soon. By dragging it out like this you only risk hurting her more."

"I know. I just don't know how to tell her there's some--" He suddenly stopped, catching himself before he said too much.

But he said enough to peak Sakura's curiosity. She began to grin, despite a growing pain in her heart. "Tell her that there's someone else you like? The great warrior sorcerer of the Li Clan is in love?"

Syaoran blushed a deep crimson and continued walking.

She laughed despite her sorrow. Her heart's love was in love with someone and, in all likely-hood, it wasn't her. "He is! Li's in love!" she crowed teasingly, running to catch up to him. "C'mon, you can tell me. Who is it? Is it Jessie?"

"No."

"Nikki?"

"No!"

"Tomoyo, right?"

"No!"

She smirked playfully, then a menacing grin appeared on her face. "Tell me or I'll use the Truth Card on you."

He faced her with a knowing, frowning smirk. "You wouldn't dare."

She pouted. "I don't find it fair that you know me _that_ well. At least tell me if she goes to our school?"

"She does." and he turned away to continue walking.

"Do I know her?" she chased after him.

"You do, and that was your last questioned allowed. Topic closed." He looked up to a large tree now blocking the stream bank and smiled. "We're here." he announced.

A puzzled frown crossed her features as she looked at this grouping of massive trees. She didn't remember them being there before, but I had been a while since she had gone this deep into the park. Their span crossed the narrow stream, allowing just enough space for the water and skippers to pass in some places. Some sort of stone wall seemed to be near buried under the mass of intertwined trees and branches.

"In there?" she questioned as she watched him shove his bike through a wide enough space under the tree. "But... there's no way to get in."

"Sure there is. Up and over."

She blinked and looked up to the wide branches so far above. She frowned. Climbing was definitely out. She would have to resort to magic. Sakura took out a small, key-like pendant and looked around quickly to make sure no one else was about, then closed her eyes in concentration. The key began to glow and floated out of her hands, reacting to her powers. Syaoran had to smile at the sight. No matter how many times he saw her do this it still amazed him. She showed such control and such grace.

__

"Oh, key of Clow,

Power of magic, power of light,

Surrender the wand,

The force ignite.

Release!"

At Sakura's chanting call the small key began to glow brightly, morphing and expanding in a four foot long, pink wand topped with winged bird-like head. It hovered before her, waiting for its mistress to claim it. Her eyes still closed, Sakura's hand instinctively grasped the wand, twirling it like a majorette's baton in thought. Which card to use? The Float Card to float her up and over? No, it was too uncontrollable. Windy, to carry her up there? Again, no, Windy was just too wild. She frowned.

"Jump Card?" she asked Syaoran.

"Jump Card." he confirmed.

From her backpack she pulled out a Tarot like card and held it before her, eyes once again closed in concentration. "_Jump Card, release and dispel._" In a lightning fast move she tossed the card out before her and hit it dead center with her wand. "_Release!_"

The card glowed brightly and changed into two massive arms of smoke, swirling and curling around her feet. When it all settled a pair of small, white wings now adorned the ankles of each of her sneakers.

"Ready?" Syaoran asked her.

She checked her feet and nodded. "Let's do it. Jump!" she ordered the small wings, giving herself an added boost as well out of habit.

Syaoran was right with her, using his years of skill and intensive training to jump the near impossible height to the branches above in a single bound. They landed on the branch together and, moving as one, they leapt off the other side to drop to the ground, facing the massive tree. The drop was a few seconds longer than the jump had been. They were now a good three to four feet lower than Syaoran's bike was, hidden under the tree. As he pulled it free and leaned it against a massive tree root, Sakura turned in place to take in her new surroundings. She couldn't help the loud gasp that escaped her lips at the sight.

It was a shallow, water formed chasm with numerous small cascades trickling over its sides to feed the limpid pool below. Jagged protrusions of moss covered shale jutted out from various locations, creating all sorts of variously sized ledges. Moss and lichens grew everywhere. The canopy of trees created a high dome of branches and leaves, large gaps allowing sunlight to filter through to the ground. Golden leaves of fall fluttered down from the canopy, drawing Sakura's eyes down to a cluster of trees bathed in sunlight. A grouping of cherry trees. What was more surprising was they were in full bloom in the fall. Cherry trees only bloomed in the spring.

"Oh, Li, it's absolutely beautiful." she breathed softly, afraid her voice would shatter the perfect scene. "How did you find it?"

"Remember that night a while back when we were hunting the Mirror Card and your Brother, Toya?"

"Hai." she replied, unable to tear her eyes away from the surreal sight before her.

"Well, remember, I stayed behind when the ambulance picked you two up. I sensed something nearby, something powerful."

She blinked and faced him. "Another Clow Card?"

His cheeks took on a red hue in slight embarrassment. "Um... I'm not sure."

"Nani?"

"I'm not sure if it was really a card or this place." He closed his eyes and stretched his senses out around him. "This place... it feels..." He looked at her. "Can't you feel it?"

Sakura cleared her mind and looked out at the chasm. Colors seemed to flare to life before her eyes, writhing, pulsing and undulating in a very organic way as an incredible sensation flooded her senses. There was no way to describe it. The closest she came up with was it felt like... life. She swooned slightly from the feeling, then quickly shook her head to recover from it.

"It... it feels... alive."

"And very controlled."

She looked at him in confusion. "Controlled?"

"Whatever this place is, whatever's here, won't let you go in certain places where the power's the strongest. That plateau over there, with the cherry trees, is one of the safe zones, but only to six feet from the edge."

She smirked at him. "Looks like you played detective."

The blush returned to his cheeks again. "I was curious about this place. But don't we have a conversation to finish?"

"Nani? Oh, yeah, my vision." Her tone sounded a little apprehensive about revealing it.

"C'mon, we'll be more comfortable to talk on the plateau." and he led the way along the rocky ledges.

Syaoran waited patiently as Sakura settled herself comfortably on the cherry blossom petal covered moss, watching her sigh softly, a longing look entering his eyes. She looked every bit as beautiful as the Japanese cherry blossom that had lent her its name. He now understood the dreamy looks she got from the male population at their junior high school. And the jealous looks he got from them when he was talking or walking with her. Sakura lay her cheek on her hands, her green eyes closing to the world as she relaxed, lying on her side. The moss beneath her felt like the softest mattress, the air just warm enough to be comfortable and was hinted with the smells of autumn and the perfume of cherry blossoms. She was perfectly content here, in the presence of the best company she could think of. She smiled. Syaoran almost felt guilty to have to disturb her perfect peace.

"So, what did you see in your vision?" he questioned ever so gently. "Was it a Clow Card?"

A frown knitted her brows. "Hai, a dark, evil one... so cold... so..." and she trembled, diving her mind into the memory of the vision. Her eyes opened. "There were two cards."

His frown deepened. "Two? Working together?"

"No... not really, but they didn't oppose each other either. The evil card watched a lot, as if waiting for the other card to act before it took its turn... waited for a weakness."

"What did the first card do?"

She thought for a moment, fear glowing in her eyes. "It... swallowed things, people. Swallowed them." She sat up suddenly, hugging her knees close to her chest as a terrified shiver gripped her.

"Let me see the vision you had." and he held a hand out to her.

She first looked into his deep, dark amber eyes that almost pleaded with her, then she looked to the offered hand. He had never offered to help this strongly before. Her hesitant hand finally took his, timid green eyes meeting his steady gaze.

"What must I do?" she questioned, her tone unsure.

Syaoran actually felt a very tangible twinge of pain in his chest at her uncertainty. She was scared. Part of him resented Clow Reed for giving the power of vision to the Card Captor. He softened his frown at Sakura, just enough to reassure her. 

"Just close your eyes, think of the vision you had last night... and trust me."

Her grip on his hand tightened as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Using his clan magic, Syaoran began to gently push his way into Sakura's mind, certain of the immense beauty that had to reside there. She was just too pure to have any darkness within her. He felt her resist, suddenly afraid, but he managed to gently, patiently coax her mind into granting him access. It was a warm, inviting place filled with light and bright colors and happy thoughts. Childhood memories, wishful dreams, it was all there to see, but she hid some of her more personal thoughts from him. He didn't pry. Syaoran felt at peace there for the first time in his life while his mind blended with hers if only for a short while. He smiled as his tensions just seemed to lift away.

Sakura felt her shoulders droop slightly, her whole body beginning to relax. Most movies and television shows she had seen, even the books she had read, had all said a mental intrusion was painful to endure, even if it was welcome. But there was no trace of pain here. Syaoran was being extremely careful, ever so gentle with her. There was no sign of rush or urgency from him. Sakura could feel he was giving her all the time she could possibly want or need to get used to having him in her mind. He was letting her choose the moment to show him anything. She liked having him so close this way. It was so perfect.

Then the vision began.

All the bright colors became dark and cold. The time frame in the vision was night, the time when most of the Clow Cards came out to do the most damage or mischief. Details were not at their best in this vision. The Syaoran and Sakura from the vision stood back to back in the very same park they were in now, only a different part of it, both scrutinizing their surroundings carefully. He was wearing his clan's colors of green, yellow and white, his sword in hand. She wore some sort of green outfit accented in red at the boots, waist, cuffs and collar. She held her wand at ready before her. Tomoyo was off to the side, videotaping the whole scene as usual while holding on to the back of Meilin's fighting costume to retrain her. Both the young warrior/sorcerer and the Card Captor turned to face the same direction as a dark, shapeless mass came rushing towards them from the bushes. The vision's Syaoran pushed Sakura out of the way and the dark form engulfed him, leaving only his sword behind. The real Syaoran felt Sakura try to pull her hand away to stop the vision, but he held on. He needed to see more. 

The vision continued, showing the future Sakura screaming in protest and suddenly attacking the dark cloud, tears in her eyes. The dark mass was sealed into an unknown card, but the future Syaoran never reappeared. The future Sakura dropped to her knees and cried uncontrollably. The real Syaoran felt pain in his heart at seeing her so devastated, but wondered why his disappearance would affect her so much. The vision shifted timeframe and location. It was the schoolyard several days or weeks later. The day's bright blue sky was suddenly blotted out by the thickest, blackest clouds imaginable. Everyone at the school ran for cover while the Sakura from the vision held her ground defiantly, facing the clouds. No one stood with her. A determined look was in her eyes. Syaoran could almost hear her think _either I defeat and capture this card... or I die trying._ Her wand was in one hand, Syaoran's sword in her other. A shapeless, evil mass descended from the clouds and charged straight at her. Before she had a chance to move or seal this unknown card, the cloud produced a long scythe-like blade. It continued its charge at Sakura with the blade and--

"_No!_" he cried out.

Syaoran broke the vision quickly, pulling his mind back from hers before he could see what would happen next. He didn't want to see it. He kept his eyes shut tight and clutched at his heart as he struggled for breath. 

No, it couldn't happen! 

Not to her! 

Not to his Sakura! 

She had seen her own death. No, he had to prevent it somehow. 

But what of the first part of her vision? 

Did it mean he would die as well? 

That part was ambiguous. He opened his eyes and found Sakura hugging her knees, her tearful eyes shut tight as she trembled. Who's death was she crying for? It hurt him to see her so terrified. He had to do something to make her smile return to her lovely features. One smile from her was enough to turn even the darkest day bright again. He swallowed his pride and quickly enfolded her in his arms. He felt her jerk slightly in surprise, but she didn't pull away. She turned her face to his chest and clutched at his arms as if that alone was enough to prevent her vision from ever coming to pass. Syaoran rested his chin on her head, rocking her gently, enjoying a moment he knew would be far too brief.

"You've had visions like this before, some of them were far worse than this one. But we beat Fate over and over again." He gripped her shoulders and pulled back to force her to look up at him. His expression was confident. "We'll beat this one, just like all the others." he reassured.

She stared at his frowning and adamant features, silent. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, his confidence beginning to rub off on her. She squared her shoulders bravely, wiping away her tears. "You're right, Li. Fate can be changed. We make our own destiny."

"Right." he agreed, his heart singing at the sight of her smile. He sat in front of her, releasing her shoulders. "Now all we have to worry about is figuring out what those two cards are."

"Um... I think we already figured out what the second card is."

He scowled at the memory. "Yeah... the Death Card." he growled.

Her delicate hand slipped into his to get his attention. He looked up at her pleading green eyes and blinked. "Li, how do I beat that card?" she asked.

"You won't be fighting it alone--"

"But if I am..." she interrupted. "How do I beat the Death Card?"

He hesitated. "Clow Reed said that, because the Death Card controlled all the other elemental cards, only real magic could stop it, not the other cards. He added something about two mortal souls in one body could beat the Death Card. I don't know what he meant by that."

She kept a loose grip on his hand as she pondered the meaning of his words. Two mortal souls in one body. That was impossible! Did that mean that beating the Death Card was also impossible? No, Clow Reed would have never created a card that couldn't be controlled. That was far too dangerous. Two mortal souls in one body. This would be something to ask Kero later. She sighed.

"Then let's concentrate on the first card. No Clow Card takes my friend and gets away with it." she stated defiantly.

"Figuring it out might be a little tougher. There wasn't a lot of detail in your vision."

Her shoulders slumped. "I need a focus lens in my dreams." She let herself drop to one side with a defeated sigh, releasing his hand. "I know I'm going to have the killer of all migraines before this day is over." she groaned.

He scrutinized her face carefully and his frown deepened in concern. "You didn't sleep last night because of that vision, did you?" he asked carefully.

She looked up at him. "How can you tell?"

"You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all?"

"No." she sighed. "Each time I closed my eyes I would see it happen all over again."

"Why don't you try sleeping now?"

"Now? As in, right here now?"

"Yeah. It's quiet here and I don't think you'll have the vision again."

She met his eyes. "You sure you don't mind?"

"I don't mind. Besides, what good is a partner who falls asleep in the middle of a capture?"

She chuckled. "I guess you're right. Good thing it's Saturday. Dad isn't expecting me back until at least supper time." She settled herself comfortably on her side, facing him. "Don't know how much sleep I'll be able to get though."

"You'll sleep." he assured.

"How do you know?"

He silently reached over to her and pressed his index to the center of her forehead. Sakura felt a slight, pleasant tingling sensation invade her senses, a sort of drowsy humor, then all went blissfully black. Syaoran smiled gently as her eyes closed under the influence of his newest spell. It was something his mentor had recently taught him, but that Syaoran hadn't gotten a chance to use yet. He couldn't think of anyone who could benefit from it more.

He carefully smoothed her soft hair away from her face. "Sleep without dreams, Sakura." he whispered as he traced the edge of her face with gentle fingers. "Sleep in peace."

The sudden urge that gripped him was just too strong to deny anymore. She would never know. He leaned down towards her and placed a feather light kiss on her parted lips. She sighed and mumbled something he couldn't quite hear, but she stayed asleep. For the hours following Syaoran just watched her sleep, not tiring of this motionless and silent meditation. He sat against one of the cherry trees, one knee pulled up to his chest for comfort as he gazed upon a living goddess. She had to be a divine being. No one woman could look or act as she did without some form of supernatural origin. He wanted to memorize every detail of her face, every nuance of her features. He wanted to remember how the light caught the dark coppers of her hair and the light rosy cream color of her skin. To him she was mesmerizing. All around her fell the petals of her namesake, not daring to touch the sleeping Mistress of the Clow Cards. To wake her would be to break a fantastic dream. But one petal soon became bold enough. Its path directed by the random air currents, the lone pinkish white petal landed on Sakura's cheek. Her dark lashes began to flutter as she woke from the light touch. She blinked a few times, then sat up to stretch with a yawn. Syaoran almost couldn't stop his chuckle at how adorable she was when doing that. She rubbed her eyes of sleep and looked to him sitting not too far away.

"Hey." she greeted sleepily.

"Hey."

"What was that you used on me?"

"A sleep spell. It's supposed to only be used when doing an intense healing, but I figured you needed it just as badly."

"Mm, I did. Thank you. You stayed the entire time?" 

He shrugged. "Had no place better to go. This is one of the few rare places in the city that Meilin-free."

She chuckled and stretched again. "So you take advantage of them for as long as you can, right?" He merely nodded. "How long did I sleep?"

"A while."

"How long is a while?"

He looked at his watch. "Almost five hours."

"Nani? Five hours! Oh, Meilin's going to kill us!"

"Well, that would be one way to beat Fate on your vision." he quipped softly.

She faced him in shock, only to be greeted by a playful glint in his frowning amber eyes. She suddenly understood and began to giggle. The giggle soon turned into a laugh and she lunged at the young warrior/sorcerer. She caught him off guard and easily pinned him on his side to the ground. He blinked a surprised smile and looked at her. There was a demonically playful glint in her green eyes.

"Are you ticklish, Syaoran?" she suddenly giggled.

He froze, his eyes going wide. "Don't you dare!" he warned.

She pretended to mull the threat over in her mind with a playful grin, enjoying the look on Syaoran's face. "I dare!" she laughed. "Tickle attack!"

* * *

Li Meilin Rae had searched all over the park without success for the last five hours. Syaoran and Kinomoto had to be somewhere, they had said they were coming to this park. She decided to retrace her steps. Turning a bend in the path on her bike she came upon the small stone bridge near the park's entrance. And there, her head just poking up from over the edge, was Kinomoto Sakura. The Card Captor pulled herself over the edge, then turned to reach back down for something. Meilin squinted to get a better view.

Syaoran 's bike!

__

I knew it! I knew she was going to do something horrible to my Syaoran! she raged, preparing to race over for a confrontation...

... just when Syaoran leapt up from over the side of the bridge to land on the stone railing. Meilin blinked. He was fine, no sign of injury anywhere. She saw him say something to Kinomoto as he stepped down from the ledge. She responded by holding up a bobble like pendant hanging casually from her finger. Meilin gasped. Syaoran 's pendant! The one he used to call out his Clow Sword and control the elements. How did Kinomoto get her hands on it? She saw Syaoran lunge towards Kinomoto, who promptly backed away, laughing playfully as she dangled the pendant tauntingly before her. Meilin allowed herself a little evil smile.

__

You're in trouble now, Kinomoto! Syaoran doesn't let anyone near his pendant. I tried this trick on his once and nearly got my head chopped off for it.

Syaoran lunged again.

__

Now you're dead, Kinomoto!

But much to Meilin's surprise he didn't attack the Card Captor or yell at her. Instead he merely tried to grab his pendant away from her while she tried to keep it out of his reach. Both were laughing. Meilin blinked. Syaoran never laughed. He wrapped an arm around Kinomoto's waist from behind, to keep her from retreating, and reached again for his pendant. Still she kept it out of his reach, her face taking on a deep blush from his proximity. Kinomoto freed herself from his arm, running a little ways off to the grass, and once again taunted him by dangling the pendant before her. He took a swipe for it, but she pulled it away before he could grab it and stuffed it down the front of her shirt.

* * *

Syaoran was shocked still as he just stared at her, trying not to look at her chest where his pendant obviously was. "Sakura!?"

She laughed softly, a blush touching her cheeks again. She hadn't even expected herself to pull off this stunt, but it was done. All she could do was follow through. "You want it, Syaoran, you have to go get it."

"I am not sticking my hand down your shirt." _Not that I don't want to._ He then blinked when his mind caught up with what she had just said. _Syaoran._ She never called him that. This was the second time she had used that name.

"Then you're not getting it back." she taunted.

She heard him growl low only seconds before he lunged at her, knocking her down to her back in the soft grass. He pinned her there by straddling her hips, holding her wrists down on either side of her head. She looked up in surprise only to find him frowning a playful smile down at her. She smirked in an attempt to hide her blush.

"What are you doing?" she chuckled. _Oh, wow! He's even more gorgeous up close!_

It would be so easy to kiss her right now, his mind suggested in temptation, but he shook it off. "You're not giving me much of a choice to get my pendant back, are you?"

Her blush returned full force at the thought of him going for his pendant. "You wouldn't dare, Syaoran." she taunted too confidently, squirming slightly.

He grinned, deepening her blush. "Oh? And why wouldn't I?"

"Because Meilin is standing right over there watching us." she told him, indicating the direction with her eyes.

He looked over quickly and groaned at the sight of Meilin riding over to them with a shocked and more than confused expression on her face. He sat up, still keeping the Mistress of the Cards pinned to the ground. Then he looked down at her, finding her arms crossed over her chest in slight defiance, an _I told you so_ look on her smirking features. 

He sighed in defeat. "Hey, tell me something."

"Nani?"

"Why did you start calling me Syaoran?"

"No specific reason." she blushed, averting her eyes.

"Oh." was all he could say, unable to stop the grin. "Sakura?"

She looked up at him, liking the way her name sounded from his lips. He so rarely used her name. "Hai?"

"Can I have my pendant back now?"

"Maybe." she taunted.

"Maybe? What do I have to do then?"

"For starters... let me up."

Syaoran quickly did as told, pulling her up to her own feet in the process. She turned her back to him and reached down the front of her shirt for his magical item. She turned back to him, but didn't give his pendant back just yet, holding it in a tight fist.

"What else do I have to do?" Syaoran questioned, willing to get her all the stars in the sky if only she asked.

Sakura glanced at Meilin who was still riding towards them. "Tell her you broke off your engagement to her."

His eyes widened almost imperceivably in apprehension. "I can't..."

"The longer you drag this out the worse it'll become. She has a right to know."

"You're right." he sighed. "Won't be easy."

She smiled in sympathy and held his pendant out to him. "It never is."

"What never is?" Meilin demanded when she finally neared, shooting daggers from her eyes at Sakura.

Syaoran's perpetual frown and stoic expression returned, but Sakura spoke before he had a chance to brush off the subject. "Well, I better be getting home. My Father's probably wondering where I am so he can dump a whole new set of chores on me." she stated while she forced a smile. She looked to Syaoran and her expression softened on it's own. "Call me later?"

The tiniest of smiles touched his lips. "I will." He reached for his pendant nestled in her palm. "Thanks."

She smiled brightly, causing him to blush. "What are partners for?" and she quickly jogged off.

Meilin rounded on Syaoran, frowning in clear jealousy. "Alright, what was that all about? You two were being very cryptic just now. And where were you all this time? I spent the last five hours searching the entire park and I didn't find you anywhere. What did she tell you?"

"Meilin..."

"I want to know what you two did and talked about!"

"Meilin, can you shut up for about five minutes!" he snapped. Then, "C'mon, we have to talk and you're not going to like what I'm going to tell you."

****

To Be Continued...


	2. Default Chapter Title

16 October, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions" 

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

_

> October 28th

> Dear Diary,

> Today had promised to be a weird day and I wasn't disappointed in the least. 

> I woke up this morning, terrified by a dream... a vision of things to come. I saw my own death, but that was after the part that terrified me. Syaoran vanished in my vision. All that was left was his sword. I don't know what that Clow Card is that can do that, but I know I have to stop it... for Syaoran's sake.

> *sigh* To make matters even stranger, when I went out to skate around a bit to clear my head, I got that strange feeling again. And there was Syaoran, just up the street. It's like we know when the other is around. He and I later 

_shared_ minds... sort of like... I don't know, but I liked it before the vision came. It was just so soothing to have him so close. It's like we were one. 

> *giggle* He showed me the most beautiful place in the whole city. It's in the park. It's like the whole place is alive and breathing, but it's not scary. It feels... I don't know how it feels really, I just know I like it there... alone... with Syaoran... Oh, dear God, I love him so much... but I can't tell him. No, not can't. Unable. I am such a wimp when it comes down to that. 

> His engagement to Meilin used to be my excuse to keep it a secret, but he told me the whole betrothal was annulled a year before he came to Japan. But now I know he has a crush on someone else. I waited too long to tell him. 

> Have I lost him for good?

_

Sakura bit the tip of her pen as she read over the words she had just written. She smiled sadly and closed her diary, shoving it into the back of her desk drawer just as a tingling sensation touched her senses. It was stronger than the first time she had felt it that morning. Sakura shook the feeling away, knowing full well there was no way _he_ would come to her place. Her older Brother, Touya, would see to it that _he_ never made it past the front door. She didn't understand why Touya hated him so much. Prejudiced against the Chinese? No, Touya _had_ to be more tolerant than that. She shrugged mentally to herself. She would have to ask him about the reason. She turned to look at a small, animated stuff toy totally engrossed in a video game. His long thin tail and tiny wings twitched every so often with concentration. She chuckled lightly at the sight.

"If he could only put half that kind of concentration to figuring out your vision, we'd be set." a voice suddenly stated from her open bedroom window.

The toy yelped in surprise as Sakura nearly fell off her chair. They both looked to the window to see Li Syaoran sitting comfortably on the window ledge, seemingly both guarding from exterior attack and watching the happenings inside the room. He wore the warrior's uniform of white, yellow and green of the Li Clan. Sakura suddenly felt very self-conscious about the baggy pale yellow pyjama she was wearing.

"You Chinese brat! I was almost to the next level!" the small animal berated angrily.

"Kero, hush!" Sakura hissed and stood slowly as she watched Syaoran's face. His frown did nothing to hide the turmoil she knew he was going through, his eyes averting from hers to stare at his hands folded in his lap. _Small talk first, Sakura. Don't jump in, let him tell you when he's ready,_ she thought as she forced a smirk. "And how long have you been there?"

A fake grin touched his lips. "Not long. I was out patrolling, see if maybe I could find that card."

"To try and catch it without me no doubt."

A genuine mortified look crossed his face as he looked up at her. "I would never."

She blinked at this, but decided to dismiss the entire thought with a wave of her hand. "Find anything out there?"

"Nothing. Not even a glimmer."

"I guess... it's one of the more powerful cards. They're better at hiding themselves. Right, Kero?"

"On the nose." the now flying creature replied. "The cards you already captured were some of Clow Reeds early attempts at creating the Clow Cards. Sort of like practice until he could figure out how to concentrate more power into an obedient card. Speaking of cards, ever figure out which cards you fought in your vision."

"We did figure out one." Syaoran answered, heavy sorrow underlying his voice.

Kero looked at him strangely. "She told you her vision?"

Sakura balled her fists on her hips indignantly. "Of course I did. He knows just as much about the Clow Cards as you, Kero. Besides, the vision involves him. It's only fair."

"Oh, right, the part where he gets swallowed up. Couldn't happen to a nicer gaki."

"Kero! Apologize right now or I permanently take your video games away." she snapped. Kero seemed to go into a panic and went down on his knees to beg forgiveness. "Not me, Kero. Apologize to Syaoran."

"Nani? Me, apologize to the Chinese Brat? As if!"

"Kero..." she began in warning.

"No, it's okay, Sakura." Syaoran stated to stop her.

The Mistress of the Clow and the Guardian Beast of the Seal both froze to look at him. Kero was confused at Syaoran's sudden lack of willingness to get into an argument, but thought it best to change the subject back to the vision. "Um... so... which card in her vision was what?"

Syaoran struggled with his words. "We figured out the card that killed her."

Sakura blinked at the sound of pain in his voice.

"So what was it?" Kero demanded.

Syaoran closed his eyes tight. "The Death Card."

"_Nani?!_ No, that can't be possible! She can't face that card until she has more experience! No, she just can't--"

"Don't you think I know that!" Syaoran snapped, coming eye to eye with the diminutive creature. "I know what'll happen if she faces it now! She'll die and I don't want that to happen anymore than you do! I care too much to let her get hurt!" He suddenly blinked, his brain catching up with his words, his face beginning to register shock. _Oh, no..._

He could feel Sakura's eyes on him, watching him in curiosity, about to ask him the question he had no courage to answer just yet. But before she could utter a word, a call was shouted out into the night. All three of them crowded around the window to see who the caller was. She passed under one of the street lamps, suddenly becoming visible in her white fighting outfit. Syaoran groaned in dismay, pulling out of sight around the window's edge, while Kero grunted and turned to his video game. Sakura blinked in surprise.

"**_Syaoran! I know you're out here! Where are you? Syaoran!_**" the girl called over and over relentlessly.

The Card Captor looked to her friend as he banged his head slowly on her wall. "Meilin? Didn't you...?"

"Hai, I did tell her." he sighed and sat against the base of the wall. "She didn't believe me. I even called home to the Elders and asked them to please explain the whole situation to Meilin. They did."

She sat next to him. "And...?"

"And... The only thing I can say about all this is she's obsessed. She has to be! I keep telling her no and her twisted little brain says hai instead."

"I thought you were going to call me afterwards. I could've helped."

"And have Meilin try to kill you for it, literally. I may resent you for being the Card Captor, but not by _that_ much."

She grinned. "Domo."

He shrugged. "And it's kind of hard to get near a phone guarded by one _very_ jealous Cousin. The only one left was in her room and there was no way I was falling for that trap."

"Mm, she could make it very hard for you and your mystery girl."

He smirked at her. "Don't even start. I'm still not telling."

She smiled. "Hey, a girl can try." and she stood to walk back to her desk. "But, as for the problem with Meilin, you have to admit it, Syaoran. You don't really make it easy for a girl to resist you." Sakura froze, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She couldn't believe she had just admitted that. _Please, don't ask! Please, don't ask!_ she pleaded silently.

"In what way?"

__

Eep! she winced mentally, her blush deepening, keeping her back to him. "Um... you just do."

She heard him stand. "No, c'mon, tell me so I can do the complete opposite and maybe get Meilin to stop hanging off me, literally. What am I doing?"

She toyed with a pen on the desktop, not daring to look at him. "Nothing, actually. It's... it's just the way you are."

"The way I am? What do you mean, the way I am?"

"Um... well... you almost never smile or talk much... unless it's to Tomoyo and I about the cards... even if the other girls at our school don't have any magic, they can still feel your strength. Strong, silent type. It's... um... it's very attractive. That, and you look so... well... so kawaii! Any girl would consider herself lucky to be with you." she ended in a hush, hoping he wouldn't hear.

But he did since he was standing so close behind her. "Any girl?" he asked softly, his fingers gently brushing the back of her hand.

She blushed again, a smile tugging up the corners of her lips as she cast a furtive look to him from over her shoulder. He looked so hopeful standing so close behind her. There was a sudden loud commotion coming from downstairs, soon followed by the sound of someone rushing up the stairs to Sakura's room. Curious, Sakura got to the door just as it flung wide open, knocking her backwards. Syaoran caught her in time before she hit the floor and Kero hovered before her in protection. A raven haired girl stood in the doorway, a bundle of fabric thrown over her arm, a video camera in her other hand. She was breathless from an obvious run. She looked up at the three and shock registered on her face at the sight of Syaoran in Sakura's bedroom, holding Sakura from behind.

"Tomoyo! Don't you ever knock?" Kero chided. "You made me lose my game... again." and he shot an evil look at Syaoran who was reluctantly letting go of Sakura.

"Sorry, Kero, but I had to get here as soon as I could. Quick, turn on the TV at channel twelve."

Sakura did so on the small television where Kero's game was hooked up. It was a news cast.

_

> "... Again, citizens are urged to stay away from King Penguin Park due to a rash of unexplained robberies. Swing sets, two slides, and a merry-go-round have all gone missing. Sketchy eye-witness reports say the object were swallowed up by a dark cloud, but investigators are denying any such phenomenon exists. If anyone has any information on these thefts..."

_

Daidouji Tomoyo turned off the television set. "That's what brought me over here. I thought maybe it was a Clow Card..." and she turned to face Sakura who was suddenly a very pale shade of white. "Sakura?" she questioned in concern.

Syaoran peered at the Card Captor's features in worry. "Are you okay?"

She pointed to the television, her hand trembling in shock. "That's it." she rasped.

"What's it?"

"The vision... it starts there, right now." 

* * *

The last male descendant of Clow Reed stared at the closed door with growing anxiety. "C'mon, hurry up! That Clow Card won't wait at the park forever!"

"Good!" came her muffled reply from the bathroom. "If it leaves there then maybe we can change the vision!"

"Good theory, but if it leaves then we might not be able to find it again!" and he went to stand by the window to wait.

"By the way, Touya says he's leaving for the rest of the weekend, something about a study date! He says you have the house to yourself for the weekend!" Tomoyo called to her friend. 

"Figures! He meets a new girl and off he goes to try to impress her!" Sakura called back.

"Anything to get him out of the house for a while, I say!" She then turned to Syaoran and watched him for a moment, then smirked at a positively coy thought, training her camera on the young warrior/sorcerer. "So, Li, any particular reason why you were here, in Sakura's room, this late in the evening, without her Brother chaperoning?"

He didn't bite to her bait, keeping his frown as he stared out the window in the direction of the park. "No reason."

"Oh, c'mon! When I walked in you were holding her!"

He redirected his frown at the violet-eyed videographer. "I caught her when you knocked her back opening her door like you did."

She smirked coyly. "Yeah, right, like I believe that."

"It's the truth!"

"That you're willing to tell me. But there's a real truth there, a deeper truth, and I'm going to find out what it is."

Syaoran sighed. "You've been watching too much X-Files."

"Way, _way_, too much X-Files." Sakura corrected as she appeared from the bathroom.

Tomoyo chuckled silently to herself as she made sure to record Syaoran's reaction to the outfit she had made for Sakura. His jaw looked about ready to his the floor and keep right on going through it. Awe-struck. A shiny, silk like fabric of a rival green to the Card Captor's eyes made up the mid-thigh length tunic. Cherry blossoms were embroidered against the shoulder, a horizontal row of buttons sewn on the other shoulder. The sleeves were short, barely past the shoulder. Underneath was a tight, black bodysuit with built in gloves. A red belt, a pair of red wrist cuffs, and a pair of red ankle boots completed the outfit. Sakura looked herself over critically in the mirror behind her door and sighed, tightening the green ribbon in her hair.

__

Green and red. Just like in my vision. She called forth her wand and turned to her friends with a determined expression, Syaoran's words echoing in her mind.

_

> "You've had visions like this before, some of them were far worse than this one. But we beat Fate over and over again. We'll beat this one, just like all the others."

_

He was right. When they stood together against the cards they could accomplish anything they set their minds to. 

"Let's get this over with." she announced and walked purposefully towards the window where Syaoran was standing.

"Nice outfit." she heard him breathe only moments before he leapt out of the window into the night.

Sakura blinked in utter surprise. A compliment? From Syaoran? A smile crept over her lips as a light blush warmed her cheeks. A rare treat. She released The Fly from its card to her wand, both she and Tomoyo climbing aboard before following Syaoran into the dark yard and then out into the street. Kero clung to his Mistress's shoulder, ready to aid and advise at a given moment. The Mistress of the Cards then re-sealed the Fly Card. From there they began to run for King Penguin Park. Kero floated off ahead of them in an attempt to help locate the mystery card. Within seconds he had completely vanished from sight. As they ran Syaoran risked a glance to the beautiful Mistress of the Cards. She seemed apprehensive and deep in thought. His perpetual frown deepened in concern.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, still running.

"Nothing! Just a feeling!" she replied.

"About?"

She blushed. "I just can't get rid of the feeling that I'll never see you again after we seal this card!"

He turned his head to see her running at his side. She seemed to be holding back tears. He looked ahead again and grit his teeth. "I made a promise to always be there when you needed my help!" he admitted. "I intend to keep that promise, Sakura! No matter what!"

She looked at him in surprise. She didn't remember him making any such promise to her. Did he say that just to reassure her? Or had he taken this vow privately? He pulled ahead of them, coming to a sharp corner in the park's surrounding stone wall. He pulled back out of sight of whatever was beyond. The two girls approached silently and carefully peered around Syaoran and the corner. Two police cars and a few police officers on foot were right in front of the park's entrance.

Syaoran hissed a curse in Chinese. "It's probably like this at every entrance." He looked at the wall. "If we can't take the easy route in, then we'll take the harder route."

"Way ahead of you, Li." Sakura stated as gave Tomoyo a boost up over the wall.

He blinked a small smile at this. She had anticipated, good!

"Meilin's not here. Do you think that might mean the vision changed?" Sakura asked the last descendant of Clow Reed.

He shook his head slowly in a negative. "She'll show. It's one of her most annoying traits, showing up when she's not wanted or needed."

She sighed heavily. "Here's hoping tonight's an exception." and Syaoran boosted her up.

She sat on the wall for a moment, stretching her senses out all around her to get a feel on where the Clow Card was hiding. Hopefully it didn't know she was there yet and wasn't hiding itself very well. She was nearly overwhelmed by the warm feel of Syaoran's bright aura when he jumped onto the wall next to her. Even over that she managed to get a slight glimmer of sensation from the rogue card and another more powerful one before she reeled in her senses quickly. She rubbed her temples in pain. Syaoran looked at her in worry.

"You okay?" he asked. "Did it attack?"

"No... I just forgot to block you out before I tried to find it."

He looked apologetic. "But did you manage to sense it?"

"Hai. It's over that way." and she pointed West. "At least, one of them is."

"One of them? They're both here?" She only nodded. "Great. Just perfect." he grumbled and they leapt off the wall together.

Tomoyo brought her video camera up to her eye and began recording her favorite subjects, namely Sakura and Syaoran. They groaned quietly at their friend's persistence to always tape them during a card capture. She was right on their heels as they dashed through the park's small woods in the direction the Mistress of the Cards had indicated. The park seemed to be teeming with police officers, searching for any sign of an intruder or the mysterious thieves who were running off with some of the park's equipment. The trio stopped under a large bush to look around and catch their breath.

The young warrior/sorcerer of the Li Clan grumbled under his breath. "I'm starting to feel like I'm escaping from a prison state with so many cops around."

Sakura smirked. "What, you've tried before?" she quipped.

He gave her a mock-suffering stare. "No, of course not."

She bumped her shoulder to his gently. "Lighten up, Syaoran. I was kidding." She looked at all the flashlight beams cutting through the darkness and frowned. "This'll be a challenge. Catching either one or both Clow Cards _without_ attracting the attention of the police."

"We've done it before." he shrugged.

"Hai, we did, but then the police were never this close before."

"Then I'll used the Time Card and freeze time long enough to do the capture. They'll never know we were here."

"You'll be drained."

"And I won't be able to catch any of the action." Tomoyo added in protest.

"Complaints, complaints..." he muttered.

Sakura suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt to force him to look her in the eye. "Now you listen to me, Li Syaoran." she hissed. 

He blinked at the intensity of her voice and stare. It was unusual to see this kind of forceful display from her, but at the same time it was quite exciting.

"The Time Card drains you of your power each and every time you use it. These new cards are strong ones and I don't know what one of them is or what it can do. You have infinitely more knowledge on these things that I do. I need you to be a hundred percent in this to help me." Her voice lowered even more so only he would hear. "I don't want to lose you."

He blinked at the genuine fear he saw in her eyes. "Sakura..."

"You said you'd always be there when I needed you. Don't break your promise now."

Syaoran could just stare at her for the moment, watching her fight with growing fear. He barely heard the soft whir of Tomoyo's video camera recording the whole scene. All he could concentrate on were Sakura's eyes, those beautiful orbs as clear and bright as the finest cut emeralds. Never leaving her eyes he carefully pried her hand off the front of his shirt and held it tight. The fear in her eyes seemed to recede.

"I never break my promises." he whispered.

A relieved smile turned up the corners of her lips at this. His perpetual frown vanished as he, too, began to smile. A smile from Kinomoto Sakura was more addictive than any narcotic, and a hundred times more pleasant. Tomoyo did her best to hold in her squeal of delight at being able to capture such a touching scene between them on video.

__

Now if I could only get them to kiss, she giggled inwardly. _They're just so perfect for each other._

There was a sudden light cracking of twigs from behind the small group. The quickly whirled around only to find Li Meilin Rae standing there, hands on her hips, a scowl on her face. Sakura felt and icy chill race up her spine from Meilin's hard glare.

"And I find you with Kinomoto _again_!" Meilin shot to her Cousin.

He tackled her to the ground, his hand over her mouth forcefully. "Not another word, Meilin!" he hissed. "The park is crawling with police officers and we're not supposed to be here, but we have to find that card. The less noise we make, the better. So either shut up or it's up to you to explain to the cops what we're doing here, dressed as we are, while they take us to the police station. Got that?"

She nodded, her eyes wide in shock.

"Good. Now stay with Tomoyo." and he quietly crept back over to Sakura who had kept an attentive eye on the path just beyond the bush. "Can you still feel where it is?" he questioned her. "I'm not getting anything."

The Card Captor stretched out her senses once again, being careful to avoid Syaoran's aura this time around. Whereas she had gotten a faint glimmer from one of the Clow Cards the first time, she felt completely nothing this time. She frowned and shook her head slightly in a silent negative.

"Nothing?" he questioned in surprise.

"Not a glimmer. It somehow knows we're here now and it's hiding."

He cursed softly, looking around the woods quickly. "Where's the _stuffed animal _when you need him?" Then, "The other card from your vision is around here too, right?"

She blinked at him. "Hai, somewhere, just watching. What're you suggesting?"

"That we go after that one first and figure out a way to capture it. Get the really powerful one out of the way."

Sakura began to smile suddenly in understanding. "And alter the events of the vision. Syaoran, you're a genius." and she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. They both blushed furiously from the spontaneous action. The impulse had just been too strong for Sakura to deny. Then, recovering slightly, "Use your Laizen Board. It has a lot stronger magic than either of us so it should have an easier time finding that card."

He took out the magical item from a hidden pocket in his uniform and held it in front of himself, eyes closed in concentration, and began to chant softly.

__

"Magic board with ancient spin

Send forth the magic power within.

Force, know my plight

Release the light!"

A thin beam of blue light shot out from the center of the board, across one of the park's many walking paths and into the dense woods on the other side. The beam vanished mere seconds before a police officer came jogging into sight. Syaoran made a quick hand gesture to his friends with him and they all rapidly flattened to the ground, going completely still and quiet. The officer came closer, flashing his flashlight into the woods until he stood on the very edge of the path, his back to the hidden group.

"Could've sworn I saw something." the officer muttered.

Sakura tapped Syaoran's shoulder to get his attention. Then she pointed to the officer and placed her index on the center of her forehead. He understood the reference and shook his head in negative. He couldn't use magic to put him to sleep. She frowned, confused. He pointed to the officer, his own eyes, then made a motion to encompass their whole group. The officer would have enough time to see them before the spell took effect. She looked away defeatedly. He tapped her shoulder gently and she looked at him. Syaoran pointed at her, then his eyes, then down the path to her left. He then pointed to himself, his own eyes, and hooked his thumb down the path to his right. Sakura nodded in understanding. Silently they crawled under the dry bush, Sakura checking to the left and Syaoran to the right for anymore approaching officers. There were none in sight.

The Mistress of the Cards looked up at the officer, silently wishing he would just go away, then looked at his shoes at a thought. A sly grin turned up the corners of her lips as she stared at the laces. Snagging a long blade of grass she nudged Syaoran's shoulder, indicated the officer's laces with a nod, and tied a knot in the blade of grass. The young warrior/sorcerer looked at the officer's shoes, then frowned a knowingly sly smirk at Sakura. Being as careful as possible they both reached forward and untied the officer's shoes. Syaoran then took both pairs of laces and tied them together with a quick and solid knot. The duo then quietly backed off. Syaoran reached into another hidden pocket and pulled out a small glass-like sphere. In a quick move he tossed it down the path to the officer's left. The sphere exploded with a bright flash of light, immediately catching the officer's attention. He tried to race off to investigate, but toppled over due to the state of his laces. Syaoran was on him in a heartbeat, his hand coming down hard in a chop at the base of the officer's neck, knocking him out before he could see anything. Then, keeping a watchful eye down the path, he motioned the three girls with him to dash across the path to the cover of the woods on the other side. Sakura paused to stare at the unconscious officer in worry. Syaoran urgently grabbed her arm, being ever so careful not to hurt her in the process.

"He's fine, he'll just wake up with a nasty headache." he whispered to her as he tugged her towards the other side of the path. Green eyes met amber. "He's fine, I promise." he assured.

She squared her shoulders and nodded once to him. They dashed into the woods in hot pursuit of their friends already far ahead. They came to a steep incline leading to a clearing below it. Meilin, Tomoyo and Kero were there waiting for them.

Sakura smirked. "In all likelihood Kero's demanding to know where we are and what's taking us so long."

"Humph! And he calls me impatient."

She giggled and carefully let herself slide down the incline, doing her best to remain on her feet the entire time. Syaoran was a step behind her. The loose shale and sand-like ground gave just enough under their feet to allow for speed and control over the descent. Once on level ground again Sakura began to run towards her friends. She didn't feel the sensation of danger until it was too late. Her steps hesitated as the feeling began to wash over her, then she was thrown clear across the clearing into a tree by an invisible force. Stunned and dazed she tumbled limply to the ground. Syaoran growled menacingly at the invisible foe, interposing himself between the Mistress of the Cards and whatever it was that had attacked her, his sword held at ready.

__

Which card is it? he thought frantically._ Is it Death, or the other one we were hunting for? And where is it? _Out of the corner of his eye he saw both Meilin and Tomoyo debating whether they should rush over to try to help. "No, stay there!" he ordered. "It's a Clow Card so you're safer where you are!" Kero appeared on the young warrior's shoulder suddenly. "Why is this card only attacking Sakura and not me too?"

"She's the Card Captor and the Clow Cards can feel that. She's the one they all consider to be more of a threat than you because she has the power to bind them."

"Where is it? I can't feel it."

"Li, behind you!" Tomoyo suddenly shouted.

Syaoran whirled around in time to see Sakura shoot up from the ground, clutching at some invisible force at her throat. She seemed to be choking. His years of training fell into place and he analyzed the situation in the blink of an eye. He couldn't take a swipe at the enemy for two simple reasons: He risked accidentally hitting Sakura; and where was the enemy? Magic was his only option left.

__

"Raiden Shorai!" he called out, aiming his energy to where the invisible foe hopefully was. _Don't hit Sakura_, he prayed silently.

At his bidding a bolt of pure energy suddenly arced across the sky, coming down full force on the invisible foe not a meter away from the dangling Mistress of the Cards. The electrical force gave the enemy definition briefly, a hooded figure resembling the Shadow Card. It howled in agony, the first sound Syaoran had ever heard a humanoid shaped Clow Card make, and it released its prey. Sakura crumpled to the ground in a heap, gasping desperately for air through a bruised throat. Carefully scanning their surroundings Syaoran moved to her side and aided her to her feet by wrapping his arm around her waist. She wobbled on unsteady legs from lack of air.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently, his voice laced with concern, not once looking at her.

She blinked in slight surprise at the worry she heard in his voice. "I'll... I'll be alright in a second. It took me by surprise." she told him as she looked around the clearing. "Where did it go?"

"You can't feel it?"

"No. You?"

"The same. It must be blocking us somehow."

"Why is it I get the feeling we're way over our heads here?" 

A small scraggly bush suddenly caught Sakura's eye. It wasn't very interesting and she wondered why she noticed it so much...

... when it suddenly began to shrivel and decay before her very eyes!

She pointed her wand straight at the bush with a determined frown, drawing everyone's attention to the spot. _"Death Card! Reveal yourself in your true form!"_

A howl filled the air as a dark, cloaked figure materialized. In its pale white hands was clutched a long and sharp scythe. Sakura felt Syaoran's arm tightened around her waist protectively at the sight of the familiar weapon. It was just like in her vision. She risked a quick glance at the amber-eyed warrior and saw his jaw muscle twitch as he set his jaw in determination, his sword held before them both to offer some measure of protection. The Death Card hovered for a moment more, seemingly evaluating the youths, then charged straight at the Card Capting duo. Syaoran instinctively pushed Sakura behind himself to protect her and take the brunt of the attack, but the card completely ignored him. It easily flew over the warrior, making it known that its target was the Mistress of the Cards and no other.

Sakura swiped at the card with her wand, hoping to seal it before it could attack. But just as she opened her mouth to begin the sealing chant the Death Card easily dodged her swing, picked her up, and slammed her down hard to her back on the loose shale. She cried out as she felt the stone shards biting into the flesh of her back. Syaoran attacked the card from behind, preparing to slice it in half to help his beloved Card Captor. He never got the chance. The Death Card merely swatted him away into a tree as if he were nothing more than a fly, temporarily knocking the wind out of him, then turned its attention fully on his prey once again. Holding her firmly against the ground it dragged her along at a great speed, shredding her back mercilessly. It slammed her, head first, into a tree next and Sakura's world exploded in a flash of white before going dark and silent. Managing to get to his knees Syaoran looked up in time to see the impact. Her body arched in pain on its own, then fell completely limp and still. He couldn't tell if she was still breathing or not from that distance. His carefully disciplined world turned to red.

"_Sakura!_"

With a terrifying war cry he charged straight for the Death Card, his sword slicing towards it in a deadly arc. The card barely leapt out of the way, but Syaoran stayed with it relentlessly. There was no way he was going to let this card get away with hurting his beloved Mistress of the Cards. He had only one chance to make his attack really count. All his remaining strength and magic was focused at the Death Card.

__

"Raiden Shorai!"

The air seemed to explode with crackling electricity, greater than any attack he had used in the past, with the Death Card as ground zero. It howled in pure, excruciating agony from the powerful onslaught, then took off like a shot towards a weakened Syaoran, knocking him hard to one side against another tree, then disappeared into the dark of the woods. The young warrior/sorcerer breathed heavily, in pain and drained both physically and magically, leaning heavily on his sword as he struggled to his feet. It was over... for now. Tomoyo and, surprisingly, Meilin were already tending to the unconscious Sakura. Kero zoomed over to the last male descendant of Clow Reed, anxiety etched into his teddy bear-like features.

"She needs help... Now!"

Syaoran frowned in thought. _Can't go to the hospital, too many questions to answer about what happened...Her Father and Touya will be home tomorrow night... No, too long and they can't see her this hurt... She needs to disappear at least until Monday..._ He quickly went to Sakura's still form and picked her up in his arms, being careful of the bleeding wounds on her back. "We'll take her to my place." and he began to run before any protest could be voiced and just as police whistles began to fill the air.

At all costs they had to avoid the police. Meilin ran in front, setting the pace, while Tomoyo did her best to keep up with the two, trained warriors. Kero clung to Syaoran's shoulder to be able to remain close to his Mistress. She was still unconscious and losing blood. Syaoran was exhausted. He could feel his limbs trembling in fatigue, threatening to give out at any second. But he pressed on, holding his precious cargo tighter to his chest. Ahead, Meilin had reached one of the park's outer walls and was waiting for Tomoyo to help boost her over it. Despite his growing fatigue, Syaoran took a running leapt onto the wall, pausing for a moment to look back at his friends.

"I'm going on ahead. I'll see you guys at the apartment." he told them, then jumped off and disappeared.

Meilin growled as she helped Tomoyo over the park wall. "Hey, I'm not thrilled about being left behind either." the videographer told the dark haired warrior girl. "I risk missing out on some really kawaii shots between those two."

"Don't go encouraging them, Tomoyo!" she snapped. "Syaoran is mine! No one, not you or Kinomoto or him or the Li Clan Elders can stop us from being together! We're fated!"

"Him or the Li Clan Elders? Nani...? Oh, matte, he broke off his engagement to you, didn't he?"

Meilin begin to tremble in a mix of anger and sorrow. "He's confused. Japan is confusing him. I just need to get him back to China. He loves me, I know he does."

Tomoyo placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Of course he does. It shows. But it isn't the kind of love _you're_ hoping for. He loves you, but more like he loves a little Sister."

"I want to be more that that!" she snapped, tears in her eyes. "Why can't he see that?"

"Meilin, Li was already starting towards a different road than yours long before you followed him here. Gomennasi."

* * *

Li Syaoran carefully peered around the edge of the alley to his apartment building. A crowd had formed near the front door from all the police racing to the park in response to the howls and the strange lightning show. He frowned. There was no way he could get by all those people unnoticed. Especially not with Sakura's bleeding body cradled ever so carefully in his arms and most definitely with a flying stuffed toy hovering at his shoulder. He went down on one knee to rest a bit, holding Sakura's limp form to his heart to support her. Her head lolled against his shoulder and he looked at her face. Her expression was pained, her breath coming in soft, shallow gasps, her skin pale. Syaoran cursed himself for letting this happen to her, tenderly brushing a stray strand of her auburn hair away from her face.

"Any ideas how we're going to get in your place now, gaki?" Kero demanded.

"Back off, fluff ball, or I'm sending you out there as a diversion... Hmm, not a bad idea actually."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Syaoran faced him, his amber eyes flashing impatiently. "You want me to help her or not?"

"Hai, but--"

"Then get out there and draw away the crowd! For the love of Kami, you can fly! All you have to do is stay out of their reach."

"Hey, you know, that's not too bad a plan after all. Okay, I'm entrusting Sakura to you until I get back. If anything more happens to her I swear you'll regret it."

"Oo, a threat from a stuffed animal, how terrifying." he mocked.

"Why you...!" But he caught himself and backed up. "No, later. Just keep her safe." and he flew off towards the crowd. Little by little people started to take notice of the small, yellow, winged creature and followed it as it hovered away from the apartment building. Soon Kero had the whole crowd enthralled. "That's right, people, follow the bouncing Guardian Beast of the Seal. Don't look away." He looked up slightly and saw Syaoran carrying Sakura rushing into the building. "Alright! Now to ditch this crowd." and he took off like a shot.

Inside the apartment building Syaoran was beginning to have more and more trouble walking, let alone seeing. His limbs felt like lead and they trembled despite his best efforts not to. His vision was blurred and doubled from exhaustion. He had drained himself pretty thoroughly in his attack on the Death Card. His magic was at its very weakest and he was using the last of his strength just to climb the stairs to his apartment. He struggled briefly with his keys to unlock the door, then carried Sakura inside.

__

Where are you going to put her? his muddled mind suddenly questioned.

__

Don't know yet. Couch? 

Not very comfortable for such a lovely angel.

Good point. Guest room? 

Too many people can go in and out without resistance. Meilin could see it as an opportunity to hurt Sakura. And you know she would given how much she hates her.

I don't want Sakura getting more hurt than she is. The training room?

Hard floors, no privacy... no.

All that's left is my room. He chuckled to himself. _The nights I've dreamed of having her there. Too bad she's hurt and unconscious._

He took a step forward and stumbled. Syaoran struggled with himself to stay standing, but his legs refused to respond anymore and he collapsed into a sitting position with Sakura in his lap. He was so tired that he felt lightheaded. He struggled again to stand and his dizziness won the upper hand. He fell to his back panting for breath, fighting to hold on to the Mistress of the Cards now lying across his chest as bright spots played before his eyes.

__

Don't pass out, he repeated as a mantra. _Don't pass out... Don't pass... out... Don't pass... Don't..."_

And Li Syaoran passed out.

****

To Be Continued...


	3. Default Chapter Title

16 October, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions" 

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

The pungent scent of incense and medicinal herbs filled her nostrils as Kinomoto Sakura slowly woke up. Her green eyes fluttered open and she looked around the dimly lit room as best she could with a stiff neck. To her left was a bamboo-covered wall. Somewhere to her right burned a number of candles. Daidouji Tomoyo was kneeling at her right, staring at something going on near the candles in both curiosity and anxiety. Her ever-present video camera was at her eye recording everything.

"To... Tomoyo...?" she managed to croak.

"Oh, Sakura, you're awake!" she cheered in a near whisper.

"Where are we?"

"At Li's apartment. How do you feel?"

"Tired... stiff..." She suddenly heard Kero chanting in a soft voice from where the candles were. "What's going on over there?"

"Kero's helping Meilin restore Li."

"Restore?"

"Li used up a lot of his strength and magic fighting that card to get you away from it. He was almost completely drained. When the rest of us got here you were both passed out in the living room."

Sakura fought against her pain and stiff muscles to crane her neck, trying to see what was going on off to her right. The room she was in reminded her of a very traditional looking dojo. Stocky candles were set up in a circle, all of them lit, with two smoking incense burners. Meilin was between the burners, adding more incense to them every so often. Kero was standing not far away, reciting an ancient sounding text from an equally ancient looking book. 

And in the middle of the candle circle lay Li Syaoran.

He was still in his clan's battle outfit now stained with blood, his breath slow and steady, his eyes closed as he faced the ceiling. He looked to be asleep. Kero's chant changed slightly and the smoke from the incense burners seemed to suddenly wrap around the warrior's body. After what seemed like an eternity passed when finally the Guardian Beast of the Seal stopped chanting. The air was thick with barely contained power and heavy silence. The book was slammed shut and the energy flashed into visible existence before crashing down on Syaoran's still form, causing him to glow in an eerie green light. It both awed and terrified Sakura, so much so that she suddenly felt lightheaded and passed out.

* * *

How much time had passed since she fell unconscious? Sakura didn't know. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted with the very dim glow of pre-dawn. Her friends were nowhere in immediate line of sight. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting her senses resurface. Off to her right Sakura could hear someone releasing sharp breaths as if punching or swinging at something. She craned her neck towards the sound. 

In the center of the dim room was Syaoran practicing his katas. Every step he took, every move he made, every slice of his sword was deadly precise and beautifully graceful. Sakura felt herself blush suddenly as she realized he was shirtless and barefoot, only wearing what looked like the white leggings of his battle outfit. Years of hard training and fighting had given the young warrior a well-proportioned physique and chiseled muscles. She smiled as she watched him. Something more to add to her growing list of things she liked about Syaoran. His slightly tanned skin glistened from a thin film of perspiration; his amber eyes were closed in concentration. Sakura shifted on her low pallet to be more comfortable while she watched him practice, a pained moan escaping her lips despite her best efforts to hold it in. Syaoran's katas faltered at the sound and he turned to her in worry. Seeing her try to sit up brought him to her side in an instant, sheathing his sword in the process.

"You shouldn't try to move." he chided her softly as he gently forced her to lie down again and sat at her side.

She bit her lower lip in remorse. "Gomen."

He carefully threaded a hand through her long bangs. "You don't have to apologize. You should be sleeping. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No. I just felt like waking up."

The hand rested on her cool forehead. "How're you feeling?"

Sakura sighed softly, silently enjoying the warmth of his hand. "Still tired... a little cold... and it feels like a few hundred needles are lightly pricking my back."

"That would be the poultice Meilin applied. Dulls the pain, but tingles like crazy. That card came real close to k- killing you."

A fleeting grin touched her lips, part of her mind noticing which word he had hesitated on. "The Death Card was just trying to live up to its name." Her green eyes almost seemed to glow as she looked up at him. "Tomoyo told me you drained yourself of your magic and energy fighting the card after it knocked me out. Why?"

"Nani?"

"You could've died. Why did you do it?"

Syaoran hesitated, a light blush beginning to color his cheeks, then he averted his eyes from hers. He smiled ever so slightly and closed his eyes. "I already told you why, Sakura. I care too much to let you get hurt."

Sakura was both honored and stunned by the admission, so much so that the words momentarily left her. Syaoran, the little wolf, who was usually so reserved with his feelings had actually admitted her cared for her. It was infinitely more than she could have ever hoped for from him. To add anything to what he had just said would ruin the moment, but she felt she had to say something. What could she say?

"Syaoran?" she called softly. His amber eyes met her emerald eyes. "Arigatou." she whispered with a smile. A hot blush crept up her cheeks when he smiled back, the backs of his fingers trailing down the side of her face in an almost tender caress.

A loud yawn sounded somewhere behind Syaoran. He stiffened as Kero flew up into view, landing in a sloppy heap on the young warrior's shoulder. "What're you still doing up, kid?"

"Keeping a vigil." the warrior replied simply, slightly uncomfortable with Kero flopped on his shoulder as he was.

"Morning, Kero." the Mistress of the Cards greeted with a giggle at the look Syaoran had plastered on his face.

Kero perked up at her voice. "What? Yeah, Sakura! You're awake!" and the tiny creature dove straight for his Mistress, snuggling up under her chin. She laughed softly, hugging the teddy bear sized Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Oh, man, you had us all worried, Sakura. That was some hit you took from the Death Card."

"I knew she'd be okay." Tomoyo voiced from somewhere near Sakura's feet. "My Sakura's a fighter. She'd never quit."

"You'd never let me, Tomoyo."

"Of course not! What kind of friend would I be if I let you quit on something?"

A pillow unexpectedly flew through the air and smacked against the back of Tomoyo's head. "It's four in the morning!" whined a half-asleep Meilin. "Go back to sleep before I hurt you!"

"Um, maybe we should let sleeping beauty here sleep and continue this conversation in the living room?" the violet-eyed videographer suggested in a whisper.

Sakura fought her pain and sat up, small whimpers escaping her throat in the process. In one fluid motion Syaoran picked her up off the palette, cradling her in his arms. She looked at him strangely with a slight blush as Tomoyo and Kero gathered up the blankets and soft pillows. Tomoyo was trying her best not to giggle at how cute they looked together. Kero grumbled to himself.

"I think I can walk on my own, you know." Sakura tried in protest.

He stood up with a look that silently asked, _and your point is...?_ He then headed out of the room behind their friends.

"Really, I _can_ walk. I don't want to be any trouble. I mean, I must be heavy."

He shook his head in a negative. "Light as a feather. You should conserve your strength. And you're never any trouble, Sakura."

She blushed fiercely with a shy grin, trying as much as possible not to look him in the eye. Even if he wasn't outwardly smiling at her, his amber eyes were. That was enough to leave her weak in her knees. Part of her was thankful he was carrying her for she was certain the look in his eyes would have made her fall to her knees. The rest of her was completely engrossed in the feel of his strong arms and warm chest. Syaoran held her for a moment more, while Tomoyo and Kero prepared a comfortable spot on the couch for the severely injured Card Captor, then carefully set her down in a sitting position on the bed of soft pillows and blankets. Sakura winced despite how gentle he was trying to be. She clenched her jaw tight to keep her teeth from chattering. She felt frozen, but she knew it was more from exhaustion and pain than from actual cold. Syaoran felt her body tremble slightly as he let her go. A concerned frown knit his brows as he tucked the covers up around her shoulders.

"I'll make you some honey milk to help warm you up."

She looked at him in surprise. "What makes you think I'm cold?"

"Your lips are turning blue, that's what."

Her hand shot up to hide her mouth, her face turning a deep shade of red. Tomoyo's near violet eyes danced in laughter. "Now they must be turning purple." she quipped.

Syaoran lightly tapped the end of Sakura's nose with his index just like a gently chiding parent. "Honey milk it is."

"Hey, brat, how about some breakfast too?" Kero called to him as the young warrior disappeared into the kitchen.

"You want breakfast then you have to help make it, fuzz ball!" he called back.

"Nani!? No way, I'm not stepping foot into another kitchen after than little fiasco with the Change Card and your whiney Cousin!"

"Fine, then you're not getting breakfast!"

"Why you gaki!"

"Kero?" Tomoyo called gently, a sly grin on her lips.

"Nani?" he near growled.

"You do know most girls find a guy, who can cook, irresistible, ne?"

He blinked. "Honto?" She merely nodded in response. "Oh, well, in that case..." He grabbed a tissue, folded it a few times, and draped it over his arm like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. "And what would the lovely ladies like to have for breakfast on this fine Sunday morning?"

Sakura smiled, amused, but shook her head. "Nothing for me, I'm not really hungry."

"You should at least try to eat something." Syaoran countered. He came up behind the couch and cautiously handed her a mug filled with warm milk and honey, then leaned on the couch back to watch her take a few short sips. "You have to re-build your strength for when we go after that card again."

She raised her eyes to him. "Even when I'm just not hungry?"

"Even when." he confirmed as he moved a rebel lock of her hair away from her eyes. "Tell you what, I'll make a little of everything and you can choose what tempts you."

"Kawaii! A buffet!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"Sort of." he amended. He turned to Sakura. "Will you at least try?"

His deep amber eyes pleaded with her. She blinked. Why was it she could never refuse him anything when he pleaded so sincerely? Finally she sighed in surrender and flashed a gentle smile up at him. Even if he didn't smile, his whole expression and posture seemed to brighten.

"Just don't make too much or you'll have leftovers to deal with." she warned.

"Not if the stuffed animal has anything to say about it." and he went back to the kitchen.

"Hey! I can't help it if I'm always hungry." the Guardian Beast of the Seal retorted as he flew after him.

Sakura chuckled. "They act like they hate each other, but deep down I know they like each other."

"They like you better." Tomoyo grinned slyly.

She lowered her eyes. "Syaoran doesn't like me."

"Hai, he does! If he didn't he wouldn't be doing all of this. You should have seen him, Sakura. Attack after attack and then the strongest lightning attack I've ever seen him use. You could literally feel the electricity around you."

"He shouldn't have done it. He almost died."

"He did it for you."

"He did it to catch the card."

Tomoyo sighed in frustration. "You know, you're sweet and all, Sakura, but sometimes you can be really blind to what's right in front of you."

"Nani?"

She paused in thought. "Just a second." and she dashed away back to the training room. She returned short moments later with her video camera in hand. "Here, I rewound it to the attack by that card. Tell me then, after you watch it, if you still think he's only after the card."

Sakura brought the camera to her eye, pressing the small ear-piece into her ear, and pressed _play_. She saw herself and Syaoran sliding down the loose shale hill, then she saw herself get thrown against a tree by an invisible force. She had been too stunned to see Syaoran stand in front of her like a living shield. He turned in time to see her up in the air in a chokehold. He shouted familiar words and made a familiar hand gesture, causing lightning to crash down on the Death Card. The next few scenes she remembered vividly: Syaoran helping her stand; her challenging the Death Card; the card's charge; and the subsequent attack. She had been in too much pain then to notice Syaoran's attempt to attack the card from behind. She winced in sympathetic pain for him when she saw him get hit. Sakura saw the card ram her head into a tree. Off to the side of the shot Syaoran had been recovering from his blow and had seen what had happened to her. He screamed and she blinked in surprise. He had screamed out her name as a battle cry as he ran towards the card and took a violent swipe, barely missing. A few more swipes of his sword later he finally used the massive lightning attack Tomoyo had mentioned. Injured, the card escaped. Kero flew over to a recovering Syaoran and told him that she needed help immediately, to which the warrior/sorcerer promptly picked her up, saying they should take her to his apartment, and then ran off with their friends close behind.

Sakura pressed _stop_ and handed the camera back to Tomoyo, her mind swirling with thoughts and questions. Syaoran had admitted to her that he loved someone, but he hadn't said whom. Then he had admitted to her that he cared for her, twice. He constantly risked his life to protect her. But that didn't mean anything romantic, did it? They were just partners in capturing Clow Cards, right? He didn't like her that way. Did he?

Tomoyo watched her best friend carefully, catching the confused emotions flickering across her face. "So, what's your opinion now?"

Sakura looked at her friend, confusion swirling in her bright green eyes. "I... I don't know." came her soft admission.

"Well, just think about it for a while then, ne?"

She paused, then nodded slowly. "Okay."

Meilin came trudging into the living room at this point, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. "How can you guys wake up so early?" she mumbled.

""Habit."" Syaoran and Tomoyo answered simply.

"The gaki's fault." griped Kero as he carefully cracked a few eggs in a bowl.

"Pain." Sakura winced slightly as she shifted.

At this Meilin came completely awake in a flash. As much as she didn't like the green-eyed Mistress of the Cards she couldn't stand to see her this hurt. So, despite her animosity towards her, she would help her... for her Cousin's sake. She looked to Syaoran and found his amber eyes fixed on Sakura in worry. Meilin set her jaw. This was what Tomoyo had meant when she had said he had been starting towards a different road than hers. She saw it now. Syaoran was falling in love with Sakura. Or he had already and just didn't have the courage to tell her yet.

"Be right back." Meilin suddenly announced as she ran off down the hallway. She returned moments later with a small terra cotta jar and a number of bandages, tossing a white long-sleeved mock neck to her Cousin as she passed. "Might as well take the opportunity and change your dressings."

Sakura looked apprehensive. "Now?"

"No time like the present." She saw her Cousin and Kero make a move to come help her. "No you don't! This is a _girls only_ thing. You and Kero finish making breakfast while Tomoyo and I do this. And no peeking!" she ordered.

"Why you little brat! I'm gonna--" But the Guardian Beast of the Seal never got to finish his threat since Li Syaoran grabbed his tail and yanked him back. "Hey! What was that for, gaki?"

"To save you from a painful death, you ball of fluff. Meilin's not kidding about this."

With that said Kero reluctantly backed off and went to stare at the toaster, waiting for the toast to pop up. Satisfied that both males in the apartment would stay where they were, Meilin turned her attention to Sakura. With Tomoyo's help they got her to sit up and the young Chinese girl began to carefully snip away the present bandage. The blood had dried to the bandage and Sakura whimpered in mounting pain as she felt it being pulled off. The more Meilin tugged at the bandage, the more pain the Card Captor felt until she was crying in agony, crushing Tomoyo's hands. Syaoran turned his back to the living room, his eyes shut tight while he struggled not to race in to her rescue from this torture. Just as he thought he couldn't stand to hear anymore, her cries subsided slowly to soft whimpers again. Syaoran felt Kero land on his shoulder.

"Planning to make meringues with _whole_ eggs there, kid?" the magical creature questioned. 

The young warrior looked down at the bowl before him. He hadn't realized he was still beating the eggs until now. He pushed the bowl away with a sigh, pressing his shaking hands to the counter top to help steady himself.

"They'll be extra fluffy scrambled eggs, that's for sure. But this is actually something we agree on, kid." Kero voiced softly as he patted Syaoran shoulder.

"What is?"

"We both hate to see or hear her in so much pain. Tears you up inside all the way to the core."

Syaoran closed his eyes. "I failed her. I'm supposed to protect her from this sort of stuff and I couldn't."

"Hey, you two went after the most powerful of all the Clow Cards. What were you thinking?"

"Sakura wanted to alter her vision and so did I. That card'll kill her sometime in the future. I don't want her to die, not if I can help it. If we catch it first then she won't die. But she almost did last night."

"But she didn't because you were there. Besides, you're only human. It's to be expected that these things will happen."

The warrior/sorcerer of the Li Clan went back to preparing the morning meal. "Knowing that doesn't make things any easier."

"I know, but to protect her like you want you'd have to lock her up in a bubble for the rest of her life." Kero assembled the finished food items on a large tray with the plates and utensils, then turned to Clow Reed's descendant. "No matter how hard you try to protect her there will always be a time when Sakura will get hurt. Might be by a Clow Card, might be by an enemy, might be from a broken heart, or it might be from something from everyday life. In any case, I know for a fact that she really appreciates your help in everything since you arrived in Tomeda District."

"And how would you know that?"

"I... well, um... I sort of read Sakura's journal."

"_You what!?_"

"Well, what? I know she has a lot of dreams about the future, but she doesn't tell me even half of them. I just want to know those dreams to better prepare for what might happen. And I was right, a lot of them are about the Clow Cards, but the rest all involve her and you. And let me tell you, kid, she only has nice things to say about you."

Syaoran perked up and looked at the Guardian Beast of the Seal in surprise. "About me? Honto?"

"Nothing but." Kero confirmed with a smirk.

The warrior thought about this as he finished assembling the breakfast on the large tray. Sakura actually wrote nice things about him, her dreams of him, in her private journal. To most it wouldn't seem like much, but to him it was hope that her heart was drawing closer to his reach. He allowed himself a small inward smile. Hope was often all a guy needed. As he carefully lifted the tray onto his shoulder he saw Kero manage to lift the drinks' tray. Syaoran grinned at the sight. He was strong for a little stuffed ball of fluff.

"Hope you ladies are hungry." Kero announced as he and the warrior entered the living room. "You, too, brat girl." he directed to Meilin as the trays were set down on the small coffee table.

"Hey!" the young Chinese girl pouted.

"Kero, be nice." Sakura chided in a weak, pained voice. "We're guests here so behave like one." 

Syaoran noticed how pale and fragile she looked lying there, a thin film of perspiration dampening her hair, and he bit the inside of his cheek as he handed her a plate with a small quantity of food on it, as she had requested. Kero bowed his head in apology to his Mistress. In revenge, Meilin stuck her tongue out at Kero and turned on the television, beginning to absently flip through the channels. The Guardian Beast of the Seal grumbled to himself for a moment, then flew over to stand on Sakura's knees, his expression serious.

"This is as good a time as any to review last night's failed capture."

"Sorry about that, Kero." Sakura stated sheepishly, toying with her food. "We'll try harder next time. Won't we, Syaoran?"

"You bet." the warrior assured.

"No, you won't." Kero amended.

The Mistress of the Cards was surprised at this. He didn't want them to go after the card? "But, Kero--"

"No. The whole reason it got away was because you weren't ready to fight it yet. The Death Card is supposed to be the last and ultimate test of a Card Captor's abilities. You need more card capting experience before you can go after it again... a lot more."

"And what if it comes after us?" Syaoran countered with a frown.

"Avoid it. Run away."

"I will _not_ run from a Clow Card!"

"You don't know how to fight the Death Card!"

Sakura blinked. "Hai, he does." Both males blinked and stared at her. "You told me yesterday afternoon, remember, Syaoran?... Oh, what was it?..." She met the young warriors steady gaze. "Clow Reed said there were two ways to defeat the Death Card for capture."

He sat of the couch's armrest behind her and nodded as he remembered. "Hai. One was to not use the cards and only use pure magic, but neither of us have enough control over our own powers to do that yet. The other way was confusing. Something about two souls having to be in one body... or at least that's as close as I could come up with during my translation."

Tomoyo cocked her head in curiosity. "Translation?"

Kero hunched his shoulders. "Um... yeah... Master Clow had a habit of writing everything in an ancient Latin dialect. Really hard to translate."

"But does what he said sound familiar to you though?" Sakura insisted.

"Vaguely. Actually, if I remember that particular text correctly, it should read more, _two **halves** of the **same** soul in one body again_."

"Two halves of the same soul?"

"Soul mates." concluded Syaoran.

"Soul mates? How does that fit here?"

"It's an old Greek belief. Clow Reed had a few references to it throughout his scrolls and texts. Human kind used to be both male and female in one, all hermaphrodites, a perfect being. The gods were jealous of that perfection and split the beings down the middle, creating both male and female. The belief goes that the soul was also split in half, but it was fully aware of that fact so it started searching for its other half that the gods had separated it from. That's the driving force behind the search for that special someone. We look for that person who makes us feel whole because that person is our other half, the other half of our own soul. Our soul mate."

"But with so many people on the planet, it's almost impossible to ever be able to meet your soul mate."

"No, it's not." Meilin suddenly beamed, turning away from the television.

"It's not?"

"Nope, because I found mine!" and she launched herself at Syaoran, who promptly ducked out of the way. "Come back here!"

"Meilin, I am not your soul mate! Now leave me alone!"

"Never! You're mine!"

Tomoyo and Sakura chuckled in amusement even though this was an old routine between the two, Kero flying up near the ceiling to get a better view of the action. Like he was going to miss a moment of this. Ruby-eyed Meilin had amber-eyed Syaoran trapped near the balcony door, slowly advancing on him like a predator stalking its prey. She would never give up until he finally saw that he loved her, no matter how long it took. He expertly ducked out of reach, moving away from the wall and window that had cut off his escape. With so many years of practice evading her, he was now an expert at it. He knew exactly what she was going to do and when. His back was now to the back of the couch, waiting for Meilin's inevitable next move. He didn't have long to wait. With an almost maniacal look in her eyes she lunged towards Syaoran, aiming to wrap her arms around his waist. He easily back flipped over the couch's backrest to get away from her, landing in a low crouch between the couch and coffee table. Unable to stop her momentum, Meilin crashed headfirst into the couch. The impact jarred the piece of furniture, the sudden shaking movement causing pain to lance through Sakura's injuries. She groaned in pain despite her best efforts not to. From his position at her shoulder, Syaoran looked at her in a mixture of worry and remorse.

"You okay?" he questioned gently.

She nodded gingerly, waving back his concern as she tried to settle back against her pillows. "What about Meilin?"

He smirked imperceivably. _That's one of the things that makes you so beautiful, Ying Fa. Always thinking of others before yourself_, he thought to himself, using her name translated into Chinese. It was a private pet name he used for her, but that he never had the courage to say out loud.

"The she-brat is fine." Kero announced from his perch on the backrest. "She landed head-first so there was no damage done at all."

"Kero!" Tomoyo admonished.

Meilin's scowling face suddenly popped up into view right behind the Guardian Beast of the Seal. "You are so dead, cotton ball." she growled low and menacingly. He took off like a shot with her chasing right behind him.

Syaoran stood and watched the chase attentively, making sure they came nowhere near the couch. He didn't want his beloved Mistress of the Cards to be hurt again, even accidentally. Tomoyo sat at Sakura's feet, busy cueing her video tape in her camera while she absently munched on some toast. She didn't want to lose any footage she had and she definitely didn't want to risk missing a precious moment if ever it happened. Finally done with her camera she risked a glance up to the warrior standing guard next to her best friend. She smiled. He was a good and loyal friend. And he did like Sakura a lot, maybe even loved her. There were just too many signs pointing to that fact. Each time they went after a card he protected her with such passion. He got flustered and unsure of himself whenever she appeared. He smiled easily and a lot more when she was near. And he blushed almost shyly when she smiled at him. Tomoyo was already certain Sakura loved him too. She wouldn't have been much of a best friend if she didn't know the intimate details of her friend's life. But it was also so obvious that both teens were afraid to be rejected by the other if they admitted their feelings. That was the whole reason they remained quiet on the subject. Tomoyo grinned. She would fix that. She looked to Sakura and gasped softly.

"Oh, she's so absolutely adorable!" she exclaimed in a whisper, training her camera on her friend.

Syaoran seemed to snap out of a trance. He looked to Tomoyo in confusion, then down at Sakura. She was nestled back against the pillows comfortably, her head lolled to one side in a deep sleep. A tiny peaceful smile adorned her lips. Her now empty plate was balanced precariously on her lap. Syaoran felt his breath catch in awe. He was in the presence of a sleeping angel. There was no other way to describe the being lying before him now. Being ever so careful, so as not to wake her, he removed the plate from her lap and tucked the covers up around her shoulders to keep her warm. He sat next to her, semi-lounged, an arm draped almost protectively just above her head on her pillow, and watched her sleep.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo near squealed in delight.

"Shh!" he hissed quietly. "You'll wake her."

"Gomen, gomen, gomen." she whispered quickly in apology. "You two just look _so_ kawaii together."

Syaoran sighed softly. "Don't start, Tomoyo."

"Look, I just want you two to be happy. And I know that your being together will do just that. I know you like her a lot, maybe even love her, don't try to deny it. What I don't understand is why you told her you loved someone else?"

"I didn't."

"But she said..."

"No. What I said was I _do_ love someone. I just never told her that person's name."

"Then why don't you tell Sakura how you feel about her?"

"I... I can't. I don't want to hurt her."

"How would telling her how you feel hurt her?"

His expression saddened. "Because I'll eventually have to leave her."

"Nani?"

"It was the condition I was given when I came to Japan. The Li Clan Elders said I could stay only long enough to capture the cards, but I soon as the last one was caught I'd have to return to Hong Kong and assume leadership of my clan. I gave them my word I'd come back. I never go back on my word."

She frowned at him. "So, what, you're just going to leave her when all this is done?"

"I don't want to, really, I don't. But as much as I don't want the cards to be caught so I can stay here, I also can't let them remain on the loose." Syaoran gently toyed with a lock of Sakura's hair, staring at her face in longing. "I'd bring her with me, but I can't just take her away from her home, her family, her friends. And I can't see how I can stay with her."

"Those are all big decisions for an eighteen year old to make."

"For the five years I've been here I've been rolling the questions over in my mind for the last four. I'm no closer to an answer now than I was back when I started."

"You'll find a way to stay with Sakura. Li Syaoran always finds a way." she smiled brightly.

He looked up at the amethyst-eyed girl sitting across from him. "You know, I'm glad she has you as a friend."

Tomoyo looked puzzled. "Why's that?"

"Because when I met her I also met you and now I can call you _my_ friend as well."

She smiled again to cover her growing blush from the compliment. _No wonder Sakura loves him so much. What a sweet-talker!_ she thought. "Any friend of Sakura's is a friend of mine."

He couldn't stop the low chuckle that escaped his lips at her cliché comment. With a patient shake of his head he looked down at Sakura's peaceful features. He smiled and lightly touched her cheek. "I wonder what you're dreaming about." he mused softly.

Sakura suddenly sighed in bliss in her sleep and managed to roll to her side towards him without pain. "Syaoran..." she mumbled with a smile, her hand clutching a fistful of his shirt possessively.

The warrior blinked in surprise at this, a blush coloring his cheeks as Tomoyo giggled. "Guess we know _who_ she's dreaming about. And by the look on her face it's a very _good_ dream." she jabbed verbally.

Syaoran just stared at the object of his affection for the longest moment before warmly enfolding her in his arms, being wary of her injuries. _I pray I'm worthy of your affection, Ying Fa._

****

To Be Continued...


	4. Default Chapter Title

20 November, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions"

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

Kinomoto Sakura didn't remember much about that Sunday. She had slept away most of it surrounded by the greatest sense of peace and security imaginable. The first time she had awakened it had been near noon and she had received a pleasant shock when her senses had surfaced. A pair of warm, strong arms were cradling her close to a heartbeat. The comforting smell of autumn had filled her nostrils. She had blinked a few times to open her eyes and saw Li Syaoran holding her ever so carefully. His eyes had been fixed on the television where she had heard the news. He had been so warm, his aura wrapping around her much like his arms did, lulling her into a simple and comforting state of security. Sakura had smiled and dared not move as she had closed her eyes again, not wanting this moment to ever end. Sometime after that conscious decision sleep gripped the Card Mistress yet again. The second time she had awakened she had felt herself being carried. She had felt both warm and cold at the same time. That time she hadn't bothered to open her eyes, only tried her best to snuggle deeper into the arms that held her.

"Where are we going?" she had questioned in a small, sleepy voice.

"It's getting late. We're taking you home before Touya or your Father get back." Syaoran's gentle voice had whispered in answer, holding her just a little tighter.

"Okay." and she had drifted off to sleep again.

She didn't remember dreaming that night. There was only a peaceful slumber. When she woke for the third time is was finally Monday morning and she was a good two hours earlier than usual. Sakura felt refreshed and when she stretched the sleep from her limbs she felt no pain. She had to admit, Meilin was an incredibly skilled healer.

"Kero?" she called to her unusually quiet room.

He flew to her in a flash. "Nani? What is it? Are you okay? What can I get you? Where does it hurt?"

"Easy, Kero, easy." she chuckled. "I'm okay. I was just checking to see if you were awake."

"Oh. I haven't been to sleep yet, I was making sure you were okay." He landed on her knees with a concerned expression. "How're you feeling?"

She stretched again with a smile. "I have never felt better in my life. Despite being a pain, Meilin makes an incredible doctor. How did you escape her anyway?"

"I... um... didn't."

"Nani?"

"The she-brat caught me and stuffed me into one of the Li kid's sweat socks. Talk about deadly biological warfare. Ugh!"

"Oh, Kero, gomen." Sakura told him, unable to reign in her laughter.

"Nice, Sakura." Kero grumbled as he turned his back to her, insulted.

She gathered him up in her hands and gently cuddled him against her cheek. "You're right, that was cruel of me to laugh. Gomennasi."

He squirmed slightly, then relented with a grin. "Aw, I could never stay mad at you in the first place. So what's for breakfast?"

She laughed again. "Animated stomach. You stay here. I'll go see what I can whip up. I still have questions to ask you." and she hopped out of bed to jog downstairs to the kitchen.

"Could you possibly sound more like a herd of elephants in the stairs, Kaijou?" her older Brother, Touya, greeting with a smirk. He was standing in front of the stove making pancakes and waffles.

Sakura frowned at him in annoyance. "Could you possibly live really far away and stay away? And for the last time I am _not_ a Kaijou!"

"Whatever." he dismissed casually. "So what did you do all weekend?"

"Nothing." she lied, feeling the scrapes on her back begin to itch.

"Well, whatever that nothing was sure got you up early. Must be a record for you."

She glowered at him as he handed her a plate of fresh waffles. "Eat worms and die." Then she turned on her heels and marched back to her room. "I really have to start thinking about getting my own place, just to get away from him." she muttered under her breath. "Kero, I've got waffles." she announced as she walked into her bedroom. "Save me one while I get dressed."

Sakura stood before her full-length mirror and regarded herself critically, mainly at the clothes she had on. They didn't belong to her, she was sure of that. But then, whose clothes were they? They were quite masculine looking. A pair of drawstring cotton pants and a loose, light button down shirt. She suddenly smiled. They had to belong to Syaoran. Goosebumps decorated her skin at the thought that she was wearing _his_ clothes. For some girls it was a kind of fantasy to end up wearing the clothes of the guy they loved. Sakura was one of them. One of her biggest dreams was to someday wear his battle outfit. He looked so handsome in it. She reluctantly stripped of the pants and shirt and stood before the mirror again in her bandages and underwear. She stared at herself, becoming familiar with her new markings. Countless bruises and shallow scrapes decorated her skin, the more serious injuries covered by the bandage wrapped around her whole torso. She touched the bandage with light fingers, suddenly realizing how close she had actually come to joining her Mother in the great beyond. Kero landed on her shoulder, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"You had all of us pretty worried, Sakura." he voiced softly. "That was the one time I was actually glad that Li kid was around to help. He saved your life."

She smiled. "I know. And I'm glad he was there too." She quickly put on her school uniform and sat at her desk to finish off the waffles Kero had left her. Surprisingly, he had left her more than just one. _He must still be worried about me_, she thought with a small grin. "Kero, how does one go about finding his or her soul mate?"

"No, you are not going after the Death Card again and that's final!"

"No, I just want to know for future reference. How do I find my soul mate?" she insisted.

He shrugged. "By chance."

"There has to be a quicker way."

"Not really. Might be easier for you to find him, though, since you have magic. You'll just get a feeling."

"A feeling?" She immediately thought of the sensation she felt when Syaoran was somewhere nearby. "What kind of feeling?"

"I don't know. You're talking to someone who doesn't have a soul, remember?"

Sakura sighed. "Oh, yeah. Then is there another way?"

"You could try doing a reading."

"It doesn't give enough details."

"No, but it'll point you in the right direction. Give you some clues into his personality so you can recognize him when you're face to face with him."

She began to nod. "Worth a try then."

She took out the Clow Cards and began to shuffle them with her eyes closed in deep concentration. One by one she laid out nine cards, face down, in a diamond pattern. 

__

"Ancient Cards of Clow,

Give me vision now.

Show me, answer my plea,

Who my soul mate is to be."

A haze seemed to fill the room, the cards' magic beginning to respond to their Mistress's request for true sight. Sakura reached out and turned over the card at the diamond's top point.

__

Windy.

The Clow Card that connected all the others together through the currents of air and wind.

__

Then my soul mate knows me, she reasoned with a grin. _That makes things easier._

She turned over the middle three cards.

__

Power, Fight, and Flower?

She frowned. Two cards of strength and one gentle card. The meaning made absolute no sense to the female Card Captor.

__

A gentle warrior? How can you be gentle and a warrior at the same time?

She was going to reach for the card at the bottom point of the diamond when someone knocked at her door, breaking the delicate spell.

"It's seven thirty, Sakura! If you want to make it to school on time you better leave now!"

Sakura blinked as the last of the mist faded away. She groaned in disappointment. "Okay, thanks, Dad!" she called back, forcing a smile into her voice. She looked at the cards on her desk for a split second, then grabbed her bag and headed for the door, leaving the cards where they were. "See you tonight, Kero. I'll bring you some pudding."

"Yeah! Pudding! Alright!" he cheered. Then she was gone. Kero looked at the cards still sitting on the desk and slowly walked over to the last card. He turned it over and stared. "The Sword Card? Who...? On, no." he groaned. "As if my life possibly could not get any worse!"

* * *

Li Syaoran sat at his desk in homeroom, idly sketching in his notebook. The pencil danced across the page almost on its own, not under his direct control. His mind wasn't concentrating on what was appearing on the page, his eyes not really seeing the image coming into being. He was a million miles away, his mind stuck in a time warp as it repeated the last twenty-four hours over and over again to his mind's eye. Every shred of his being screamed in agony as he saw the battle Sakura almost lost her life to. But she had survived. She had smiled at him; she had worried about him, and best of all she had dreamt about him. His face turned a subtle pink as he remembered her sighing him name and gripping his shirt in her sleep. He smiled. His beloved Ying Fa. She obviously cared about him, but that didn't mean she loved him. Not like he loved her.

__

Perhaps she just cares as a friend does for a friend? his mind taunted.

__

If so, then why does Tomoyo try so hard to get us together? She wouldn't force Sakura into this if she didn't feel the same.

Perhaps...

The question appeared before his mind's eye once again, like it always did. It was the hardest question he had ever had to face.

__

Do I tell Sakura, beautiful Ying Fa, how I feel about her?

He knew if her told her that he would end up hurting her. He would eventually have to return to Hong Kong, but Syaoran didn't want to without her. And he couldn't ask her to give up everything she had in Tomeda District just to follow him to a land and city she was unfamiliar with. That would just be selfish. He looked down at his notebook and blinked in surprise. There, staring up at him with her gentle eyes and stunning smile, was the object of his unadulterated affection. He smiled sadly and trailed a finger across the cheek of the drawing.

"Hey, good likeness." a voice suddenly praised from over his shoulder.

The notebook quickly slammed shut as he whirled around to come face to face with a smiling Daidouji Tomoyo. He sighed in wary frustration. "By the nine dragons of Kwailoon...Don't do that!" he hissed.

She smiled, unperturbed by his tone, and took her seat. "Sorry, but that must've been some really deep thought for me to be able to sneak up on you like that."

Syaoran looked at the cover of his notebook. "Yeah, it was."

"And judging from that sketch I can guess the topic of that thought. Come to a decision yet?"

"No."

"Better decide soon. You know what they say: Love waits for no one."

He frowned. "Who says that?"

"Oh, some wise old person. He or she was right."

He sighed. "I know, I--" Syaoran suddenly froze as a pleasant tingling sensation invaded his senses. _She_ was here! He looked to the door and stood in surprise. "Sakura?"

Tomoyo turned in her seat and was just as surprised as Syaoran to see the auburn haired, green eyed Mistress of the Cards walk into the classroom. Syaoran stared at the vision walking towards them, his mouth going suddenly dry. It didn't matter what she wore, a burlap sack would still look like the finest gown on her. The dark colors of her school uniform, a deep burgundy blazer over a white shirt and blue and red striped tie with a black skirt, only brought out the brightness of her eyes and the almost glowing quality of her skin. He felt his heart thud loudly in his chest and held his breath, hoping to shush the sound before she heard. She smiled at her two friends and took her seat in front of Syaoran and to Tomoyo's left. Her friends could only gape at her. 

Sakura raised an eyebrow in question. "What, is something wrong?"

"Um... well... no, not really. It's just, well... You're up early." marveled the male Card Captor, suddenly finding his voice.

She pouted slightly with a frown. "Why is it everyone I know keeps saying that? I'm not _always_ late to school... am I?"

Her question and expression were so innocent in nature, her pout making her look like a confused child. Tomoyo began to chuckle as Syaoran fought against his amused smile.

"_Always_ late, no." Daidouji Tomoyo recapped with a giggle. "Almost late, a lot. On time, sometimes. Early, very rare, but then, most of the time you're out all night and not everyone has Li's discipline of being able to stay awake days on end."

He leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his chest. "It was part of my training. The men of the Li Clan, since we're so few in number, have to be strong and have to be ready to defend the rest of the Clan at a moment's notice. Just because I'm here doesn't mean I have to let my training get rusty."

"Maybe not." agreed the amethyst-eyed girl. "But the years you've spent here have mellowed you out quite a bit." she grinned.

He shrugged in non-committal. "I just learned here that feelings aren't as big a weakness as I originally thought they were."

Sakura smiled at him proudly. "Glad you changed your mind."

The warrior/sorcerer blushed fiercely and looked at the floor to escape her bright emerald eyes. How was it someone so delicate and beautiful could make all his strength leave him with a look, leaving him incredibly shy and timid before her?

Card Captor Sakura's smile softened as Tomoyo began to laugh outright. The changes in the young warrior had been subtle and only noticeable to those who knew him well, the few he had allowed to get close and call friends. His strength of body and of will had increased over the years, something that was expected with the more experience he gained in card capting. He was an amazing warrior. But at the same time, somewhere along the way, the stone cold shield around his heart had finally cracked to reveal the real Li Syaoran inside.

Sakura chuckled inwardly. 

__

The great Li Syaoran, direct descendent of Clow Reed, future leader of the Li Clan... my gentle warrior.

She froze and blinked.

__

Gentle warrior?

Her mind cast itself back to the reading she had tried that morning, to the three cards she had turned over that described her soul mate's personality.

__

Power, Fight, and Flower... a gentle warrior.

She looked up at Syaoran arguing something she hadn't caught on to with Tomoyo and blinked again. There was almost a glow around him, but no one seemed to notice it. Unnoticed, she took in his appearance in dreamy appreciation like she did every school day. The high school uniform suited him so much better than the elementary school uniforms ever had. A dark green, almost black, blazer over a crisp white shirt, a red and blue striped tie at his throat, and black dress slacks both defined and hid the aspects of his form. Not that anything really needed to be hidden. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, once again focusing on the slight glow of his aura. Why could she see it now?

__

Could he be the one?

She abruptly shook her head to clear the thought away before she latched onto it as the truth.

__

No, baka, that's just wishful thinking. Murphy's Law: If it looks too easy then it's not the real challenge. That applies. You'd know if he were your soul mate. Kero said you'd get a feeling. Besides, you never turned over that last card. That would've made everything clear by depicting something very noticeable about him. No matter how much you want him to be, Syaoran is not your soul mate.

She sighed.

__

He's just your secret crush... No... Your secret love.

A hand waved in front of her eyes unexpectedly, catching her attention. She blinked out of her thoughts and focused on the happenings around her. Her two friends were peering at her face and, until now, blank eyes in concern. She began to blush, embarrassed that she had zoned out while her friends had tried to talk to her.

"You okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo questioned. "You just seemed so distant all of a sudden."

"Um... yeah, I'm fine. I was thinking."

"About?" Syaoran probed.

She hesitated. "About how we're going to beat the Death Card next time when we don't have the _tools_ we need." she lied.

He went down on one knee before her, the better to look her in the eye, and gripped her hands in reassurance. "We'll find a way to catch it, Sakura. We always do."

The first bell rang and she nodded with a smile that was slowly growing in confidence. "You're right. I mean, we beat the odds so many times even when they were stacked against us. Why am I so worried?"

"Because you know it'll probably hurt?" the videographer suggested, leaning towards them to keep the conversation between the three of them as other students began to file in and take their seats.

"I won't let her get hurt this time." Syaoran answered adamantly, giving Sakura's hand a squeeze. "Once was more than enough."

Sakura returned the squeeze. "And I know what to expect from it this time around. Besides, it's not the Death Card that scares me the most right now. I've been up against it and survived. It's that other card with it... whatever it is."

Clow Reed's descendent looked at her, his thumb inadvertently gliding across the back of her hand in a gentle caress. "I'm not going anywhere."

She freed one of her hands and held up her pinky finger to him. "Promise?"

He hesitated, knowing full well that this was a promise he would end up breaking, but linked his pinky with hers. Anything to get her to smile. Her happiness and well being were paramount to him. "I promise." and the second bell rang.

* * *

A hard pounding drum beat and wild guitar riffs filled the air over the soccer field. With the rest of the squad climbing into the final stack pose, Sakura moved to the beat to end up standing in front of them. _Black Cat_ by Janet Jackson reverberated through the air. Mentally she frowned at the choice of music, too harsh and dark, but she wasn't the captain so she had to go with it. At the song's before last beats she kicked her leg up high, until it was almost perfectly parallel to her body, then dropped into a split with her torso lying along the length of her leg. She raised her torso up to stare forward in perfect synchrony to the song's last note. 

Cheers, cat calls and wolf whistles suddenly filled the late afternoon air from the field's concrete bleachers. A few dozen teenage males, fellow students, were there and practically drooling at the sight of the twenty or so girls of the cheerleading squad. Sakura rolled her eyes at them in annoyance. Sometimes their attention was flattering, but for some reason she just felt they were unwelcome today.

A slight tingling sensation abruptly invaded her senses and she jerked ramrod straight. She knew that feeling. Subtle and demanding all at once to the Card Captor's magical sense, Sakura knew this feeling to be the sign of a Clow Card nearby. She quickly stood from her splits, straightening her outfit's skirt, and looked around the vast open practice field.

Nothing and no one.

She frowned.

Something wasn't right.

The feeling tugged at a corner of her mind. She turned in that direction to end up facing the end of the field, just in time to see one of the soccer nets vanish into a dark, shapeless mass.

__

There you are! she thought with a frown.

Sakura sensed a subtle shift in her feeling of the cloud, as if it had turned towards her, and sure enough it started to drift across the field towards her and the other cheerleaders. There were many gasps of shock and a few terrified screams, but no one ran yet, still too fascinated by the apparition. The Mistress of the Cards looked at her fellow schoolmates, all seemingly frozen in place.

"Don't just stand there! Run!" she yelled at them.

As if one cue the crowd scattered in every which conceivable direction away from the cloud. For her part, Sakura hung back just long enough to make sure everyone had made it off the field and to safety. Then she ran as well. She needed help. Another stronger sensation touched Sakura's senses as she ran towards the corner of the bleacher stands. She smiled, recognizing the feeling. She knew _he_ wouldn't be very far. Just the person she needed. Rounding the corner she came face to face with Li Syaoran already dressed in his battle outfit, his sword in hand. 

She blinked. _When did he have the time to change?_

"Where?" was all he asked.

"Follow me." and she ran back towards the field with the warrior/sorcerer close on her heels. "It's not the Death Card! It's that other one!"

"I was wondering when it'd show up!"

"Any idea which card this is?" she asked as they ran.

"When I sensed it I only got the picture of a door! You?"

"A black hole!"

They stopped just short of the field's edge. The cloud was still there, swallowing up inanimate objects as it floated around at a leisurely speed. Sakura watched it carefully, part of her mind aware of Syaoran taking a step forward to be between her and any attack from the card. She couldn't describe how heart warming it felt to know he cared so much so as to be willing to give his life for her, but at the same time it scared her. What if he did lose his life defending her? It would be her fault. Guilt rose in her throat, but she pushed it back for the moment. There was something else to worry about at that moment. She called forth her sealing wand, her mind working on automatic to piece together was little information she had on this mysterious card.

__

Door...

A black hole...

What do they have in common? Both have an entrance, a way in. 

It swallows things...

It's an entrance, but where's the exit? We learned what that was a few years back in elementary... Oh, what was it? And entrance without a defined exit... Don't know where you'll come out in space, time, dimension...

She snapped her fingers. "Got it!" Sakura pointed her wand to the cloud in challenge. _"Portal Card! Reveal yourself in your true form!"_

Their sense of the card shifted as it took on a more defined shape, turning to _face_ them. All it seemed to consist of was a simple gold ring with a swirling cloud-like mass at its center. But a magical will was controlling it.

"Portal is a wind element." Syaoran cautioned. "It works on the same _shifting currents_ principle as Windy and the other cards under her. It's only attack is to swallow whatever or whoever is confronting it."

She allowed herself a small smirk. "You're starting to sound like Kero."

He frowned, but she could see a small grin trying to tug at the corners of his lips. "Humph! Insult me later, will you? We have a card to catch."

"Right." There was a chuckle in her voice.

He was going to move away from her when she abruptly gripped his arm, restraining him for a moment. Confident amber orbs met fear and doubt swirling in the depths of sparkling emeralds. He blinked, caught off guard by that look.

"Be careful, Syaoran." she warned, worry now the only tone in her voice.

The young warrior/sorcerer of the Li Clan gave her one of his rare smiles. "Always, Sakura." and he moved to stand opposite her, putting the Portal Card between them.

He frowned as the Clow Card turned from him to the Mistress of the Cards, seemingly in debate to figure out which of the two was more of a threat. Syaoran's frown deepened.

__

C'mon, you glorified piece of cardboard, pick one of us. And you better pick me or I'll chop you into so much confetti!

As if in response to his mental threat the card turned towards him. The warrior frowned an almost evil smile at it.

__

That's right, you stack of recycled Language Exams, come and get me.

The Portal Card advanced on his a bit, then suddenly turned to Sakura as if in realization. Now completely ignoring Syaoran the card concentrated its whole self on the female Card Captor and advanced on her. Not willing to give it the satisfaction of seeing her fear, Sakura kept up her hard and determined stare, taking a step back to keep some distance between her and it. She didn't want it to get too close, unsure of what it could do.

"Element! Fire!" Syaoran called out, focusing his energy at the card advancing on his beloved Mistress of the Cards.

Fire appeared from out of nowhere and engulfed the Portal Card. It spun on itself, trying to put out the fire, and shot up straight into the air. Then it vanished from sight. Wary of Clow Card tricks, the Card Captors stood back to back and scrutinized the seemingly empty soccer field turned battle ground. A heavy sense of _déjà vu_ hit them out of the blue. The minute details, such as time and location, were different, but the actions were oh so familiar somehow. Off to the side of the field they could see Tomoyo video taping the action while restraining Meilin who was also dressed in her battle outfit. The Card Captors froze and blinked. That very sight was _very_ familiar. At a thought Syaoran looked to Sakura's cheerleading outfit and hissed a curse. She looked at him in confusion.

"Green and red." was all he voiced.

Sakura looked at herself. The cheerleading squad's colors that year had been just that: a dark forest green accented in bright red. Tears began to burn her eyes in dreaded realization. Her vision was coming true. They hadn't stopped it. She met his amber eyes.

"No." she whispered. "You promised."

Syaoran looked up to the sky suddenly, then met her indescribable eyes with a heart aching look of remorse. "Gomen." and he shoved her away hard, losing the grip on his sword in the process.

She landed a few feet away on the unforgiving ground and looked up in time to see the Portal Card come down on the young warrior/sorcerer, swallowing him whole. The next few instants trickled by as if in slow motion. A now ownerless sword toppled over to the ground as the Portal Card righted itself and waited to see what the Card Mistress's next move would be in response. For what seemed like an eternity Sakura just stared at the spot where Syaoran had been only a heartbeat ago.

"No..." she finally breathed in abject horror.

He was gone... just like in her vision.

Pure anguished anger welled up in her as she slowly got to her feet. The card backed away as if it could sense the danger it was now in for its actions. Sakura raised her wand, her eyes flashing brightly in fury.

"_Syaoran!_" she screamed with all her might.

With his name on her lips as a battle cry she attacked the Portal Card. She swung hard with her wand, easily connecting with the surprised Clow Card, sending it careening through the air only to have its momentum stopped when it slammed mercilessly into one of the bleacher stand's concrete walls. Furious, sorrowful tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks in unstoppable torrents. She deliberately advanced on the stunned card.

"Portal Card, give him back." she ordered.

The card twitched at the unspoken menace in her voice, but did nothing.

"_Give him back!_" she shrieked.

Again, it did nothing.

Sakura raised her sealing wand above her head in a move that had become second nature to the reluctant sorceress. "_Portal Card, return to your power confined!_" she chanted through her tears and brought the wand down hard.

It connected with a glowing rectangle hanging in midair, sending glowing ripples of magic out from it to reach out to the escaped card. An invisible force tugged at the card, sucking it into the glowing form. The swallower became the swallowed. The rectangle glowed for a moment more before easily floating into Sakura's waiting hand, the image of an open door now on the face of the new card.

Sakura looked around the field almost expectantly, hoping the last part of the vision hadn't been true. But it wasn't to be. Nothing the Portal Card had engulfed returned. The last rays of daylight caught the polished blade of Syaoran's sword, catching the Card Captor's attention. She dropped to her knees next to it, trailing her fingers along the surface of the cool steel. Pain rose like bile in her throat as her tears returned with renewed force. She just let them come, dropping to the ground limply like a rag doll.

He was gone.

Syaoran was gone.

Her heart felt shattered into too many pieces to ever be mended.

Her soul was torn and bleeding.

"Syaoran..." she whispered shakily between sobs, hugging his sword close to herself. "You promised..."

****

To Be Continued...


	5. Default Chapter Title

24 November, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions"

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

From the moment she had gotten home Sakura had locked herself away in her room, refusing to eat, refusing all calls from her friends, refusing any form of comfort. She felt she didn't deserve any of it. She touched her cheek gingerly where a red handprint was slowly forming, throbbing as it became swollen. Pain was Sakura's comfort. Meilin had hit her, beat her almost savagely while accusing her of being the cause of Syaoran's disappearance. A slap across the face was the last blow she had gotten in before Tomoyo had tackled her to the ground. Not once did Sakura defend herself from the onslaught from the hysterical girl. She was Syaoran's closest Cousin after all, so it was natural for her to lose her sanity at this moment in time. And Meilin had been right. It was her fault. Syaoran was always defending, placing his life on the line to keep her safe because Sakura couldn't fight. She didn't know how, she had never learned. She reached for her necklace and held it before her eyes, pain building in her heart. 

"Forgive me, Syaoran... This was all my fault..."

She stared at the bobble like pendant, Syaoran's sword in its hidden form, now hanging next to her Key of Clow and her tears returned in full, heart aching force.

"I never... got a chance... to tell you..."

If only she had learned how to fight, then none of this would have happened.

If only she had realized the situation earlier...

If only...

If...

She cried herself to sleep that night with Kero hovering over her in worry. To Sakura, the worst part about it all had to be the fact that she could still feel Syaoran's presence nearby. She could still feel that familiar and wholly pleasant tingling along her senses telling her he was near, that he was watching over her still.

Kero landed on her pillow and watched her cry in her sleep. It hurt the Guardian Beast of the Seal to see her so depressed, so devastated over the loss of her friend, but there was nothing he could do to make it all better. He had already done all he could. At his urgings she had released the Portal Card and had calmly, gently asked it to return Li Syaoran from where ever it had sent him. But the card couldn't. It had only been reacting to his and Sakura's attack then and didn't have full control over its own abilities. It didn't know where the Chinese warrior had disappeared to or what had happened to him on the way. That had been the only suggestion Kero had been able to make.

As the magical creature watched a lock of Sakura's golden auburn hair moved at an unnatural angle, as if someone had physically moved it. But no one could have done that. Kero was the only other being in the room with the human teen and he would have felt it had magic been used. He floated above his Mistress's body protectively, growling low in menace.

"I am Keroberus, the Guardian Beast of the Seal, the Guardian with the golden eyes, and sworn protector of Card Captor Kinomoto Sakura!" he hissed in his most threatening voice.

A moment passed in silence. Movement at the room's desk then suddenly caught his eyes and he turned in time to see a pen and paper float to the desktop's center. The pen moved on its own, quickly scribbling two words on a piece of paper. Kero cautiously flew over and read the words.

__

I know.

He blinked and sat on the desk next to the paper. "You know, huh? Well, then, that's good. Then you should also know that I won't let you hurt her."

More words were scribbled on the paper.

__

I could never hurt Sakura.

"Could never...? Um... good... I would have hated to hurt you." he stated in over confidence.

More words.

__

Oo, how the stuffed animal threatens! (Ha, ha!)

Kero blinked and looked to a point just beyond the pen in shocked recognition.

"Li?"

* * *

__

I'll always be with you, Sakura. Be patient, I'll find a way back...

The words from her dream echoed in her mind as Sakura stared at the cold, tall walls of the High School in growing slight dread. No one apart her, Tomoyo, and Meilin knew of Syaoran's disappearance. And she couldn't tell any of them. There would be too many questions to answer, too many questions she wasn't yet ready to answer. Silently she wondered if she could make it through the whole day as if nothing was wrong. She knew the immediate questions her friends and classmates would ask her, seeing as she was friends with the handsome Chinese teen.

__

"Have you seen Li?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where Li's hiding today, would you?"

"Why are you so sad, Sakura?"

"Is something wrong?"

Yes, something's wrong! her mind screamed. _I was never meant to be the Card Captor, he was! He was never supposed to have to watch over me at the risk of his life! Too many of my friends are getting hurt or worse because of my screw ups!_

Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Be strong, Sakura." a warm, familiar voice seemed to whisper in her ear as a strong hand gripped her shoulder.

She reached for the hand to squeeze it in thanks, but found nothing holding her shoulder. Sakura looked around quickly and discovered she was standing alone. She blinked, unsure on whether to be afraid or disappointed. She could still feel the phantom hand on her shoulder, still feel the gentle tickle of her beloved warrior's aura against her senses, and her hand and shoulder tingled as if they had come in contact with a live electrical wire. But there was nothing there to cause such a reaction. She sighed, her hand dropping back to her side.

"Wishful thinking." she murmured.

Then she turned back to the school. Tomoyo was standing in front of the main entrance waiting for her patiently. Meilin stood next to her, looking wretched and remorseful.

"Hey, Sakura." the amethyst-eyed girl greeting her best friend with a sympathetic smile.

"Hey." she returned, monotone. "Hi, Meilin."

"Hi,... Sakura." 

The Card Captor blinked. Meilin had just called her by her real name, not her family name. The ruby-eyes Chinese girl fidgeted slightly before continuing, her fingers tangling unconsciously in her long raven tresses. 

"I... I want to apologize for beating on you yesterday. I had no right--"

Sakura gripped her shoulder to stop her. "It's okay, Meilin."

She met her eyes in awe. "You mean that?"

She nodded. "We all had to deal with the loss somehow. And you were right, it was my fault."

"No, no, no! That was the heat of the moment! I... I wanted to hurt you because he was gone. In my mind I thought you had no right to cry for him. It's not your fault, it was Syaoran's decision. He wanted to protect you at any cost. He told me that. I was in the wrong to even try to blame you for it."

"It's alright, Meilin."

Tears were in her eyes. "Then, you... you forgive me?"

"Of course." she replied, forcing a smile.

The Chinese teenager strangled a sob and threw herself at the Card Captor, hugging her tight. This was why Li Syaoran had been so enamoured with her. Despite how she felt, Sakura always put the well being of others first. A pure heart.

"I know Syaoran would want us to work together, to find a way to bring him back." Meilin sobbed on her new friend's shoulder.

"We'll find a way."

"Why don't you guys come over to my house after school." Tomoyo suggested. "We can brainstorm with Kero on what else we can do... after we get out fortunes told by that fortuneteller my Mom hired for her Halloween party. Who knows, if she'll the real thing, maybe we'll get a message from Li."

"Nah, Sakura could get a message from him even without the help of some psychic medium." came a new voice from within the Card Captor's backpack.

"Kero?"

A bulbous yellow head popped up into view with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about stowing away like this, Sakura, but I'm worried about you."

She smiled softly. "It's okay, Kero."

"The other reason I tagged along is I found something out last night and I have some really important news to tell you."

The peel of a bell rang through the air. "Tell her at lunch, fluff ball." Meilin near snapped. "Right now we have to get to our classes or we'll be late." and she began to run off.

"But it's important!" he protested.

Sakura carefully pushed his head down out of sight as she and Tomoyo ran for their homeroom class. "Later, Kero. It'll have to wait."

* * *

The day's classes were boring and uneventful as usual, save for one aspect. Sure, there was that spout of excitement in the chemistry lab when someone's experiment exploded mysteriously on the Bunsen burner, and the electro-magnetoscope in Physics class started blowing sparks big time for some unexplained reason, but that wasn't the strange part. 

All of a sudden Sakura seemed to have become a guy magnet for some reason. 

She knew that Syaoran had been the inhibiting factor to them since he was one of her closest friends. Most of the school's male population was afraid of the Chinese boy and with reason. Almost all of them had seen him compete in some of the school's martial arts competitions. Now with his absence, most of the guys at her High School saw her as available. She saw it differently though. In every class she walked into alone there seemed to be some unspoken signal to the male population that Sakura was now available. Even through the lunch hour they hadn't left her alone for a moment, not giving poor Kero the precious chance he needed to tell her his important news. With every request for a date the tension in the air seemed to mount. She was flattered, but politely turned down every proposal. Her last class of the day turned into a free study period due to the teacher's sudden absence. No reason was given apart from she wasn't feeling well. With her nose pressed firmly into her Calculus textbook, Sakura ticked off the remaining ten minutes of class. Hopefully she could get through this last class without trouble.

No such luck.

She frowned at the equation before her in growing frustration. _Ugh! I don't understand any of this stuff. Why did I take this stupid class to begin with?_ She froze, her eyes saddening as she turned to look at the empty desk behind her. _Oh, yeah. That's why._

Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of her male classmates walking purposefully towards her. Higato Allan, the tall and blond captain of the basketball team and a guy with an ego bigger than the Big Card could expand something. She frowned and did her best to ignore him, turning back to her textbook. She desperately wished Tomoyo, or even Meilin, had been in the same class as her at that moment. A kind of tension seemed to fill the air, a fury at the fact that she was being bothered needlessly. Allan leaned against the edge of her desk and grinned confidently, oblivious to the tension.

"So... where's Li?" he asked almost casually.

Pain touched Sakura's heart as the memory tried to surface. "I don't know."

"You know, he can be a real scary guy."

She allowed herself a grin. "Only if he doesn't like you." she answered.

"Why you even hang around with him is beyond me."

"Because he was... _is_ nice to me."

Allan looked at her skeptically. "Maybe... So, what're you doing tonight, beautiful?"

She groaned inwardly. "Hanging out with Tomoyo and Meilin."

"Oh. Well, how about tomorrow night?"

"No."

"No what?"

"No, I won't go out with you tomorrow night; the night after that; next week; next month; or ever." she snapped, never once looking away from her textbook.

It didn't seem to phase Allan and he continued to smile in a snake charming manner. "Aw, c'mon, Sakura-"

"Kinomoto to you."

"-I know you want to be my girl."

"No, I don't."

"Don't deny it. You want me."

"You are so full of yourself."

"Every girl in the school wants the chance I'm giving you right now."

"I'm not every girl." The tension in the air seemed to rise even higher. It felt like an electrical field, making the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end. _What is that feeling?_

"C'mon, Sakura, we'd be perfect together." Allan insisted. "The most beautiful girl in school and on the cheerleading squad, the captain of the basketball team, it's a perfect match."

"No."

"Being with that gaki is only hurting your chances in this school."

"I said, no!"

Allan forced her textbook down hard, making her look up at his frowning face in surprise. "Get this straight, _Kinomoto_, no girl _ever_ says no to me." he ground fiercely in a very clear menace.

The tension building in the air suddenly exploded. 

Allan was lifted off his feet, clear off the floor, and was hurled unceremoniously across the room. He crashed against a wall and landed on the ground in a groaning heap. Students leapt to their feet and babbled in surprise and shock. They had all seen him talking to Sakura, but what force had thrown him across the room? Certainly not the lithe cheerleader. 

She could just sit there and stare at Allan, confused at what had just happened to him. Sakura's magical senses screamed to life, demanding to be acknowledged this time instead of ignored. There was an aura nearby. It was strong, disciplined, protective and caring towards her. She knew that aura. Not two days ago it had been wrapped around her like a warm blanket, adding security to the arms that held her as well. But it was impossible for her to feel this aura now, wasn't it? The owner of this aura, this soul, was gone... Wasn't he? 

The last bell rang above the noise and students began to leave. Allan picked himself off the floor, giving Sakura a wide berth as he retreated like a wounded dog with his tail between his legs. She sat there for a moment more, using her senses to locate the spot the aura was radiating from, hope beginning to grow in her fast beating heart.

"Sakura, let me out of here!" Kero griped from her back pack.

She blinked, snapping back to reality. "Gomen, Kero." she quickly apologized, releasing the magical creature from her pack.

"Man, the guys from your school are just relentless. So, what happened to this last one? I heard him make a threat then everyone started talking really loud."

"I... I'm not sure what happened."

Kero landed on her desk. "What do you mean?"

"Kero, I feel something. Someone's here, I can feel him."

"Him? Him who?"

She opened her mouth to reply, the shut it with a shake of her head. "I'm going crazy, Kero. He's been gone less than a day and already I miss him so much that I'm imagining things."

"Like what?"

"That I can feel his aura nearby, that I can feel _him_, that I can hear his voice..." Tears formed in her eyes. "It hurts so much..." she breathed.

"Be strong, Mistress of the Cards." Kero consoled. "I found out something last night that will guarantee you're not going crazy. And I know you'll like this news."

"What news?"

"We have to find Tomoyo and the she-brat first. No good depriving them of this news too."

Confused and intrigued, she gathered the Guardian Beast of the Seal into her pack and left the class. She walked the halls quietly, not looking at anyone, not noticing the looks of fear and worry she got from her schoolmates. Meilin and Tomoyo stood at her locker waiting for her. She barely looked at them as she got her things together to leave. Her friends looked at each other in concern at her unusual silence.

Meilin was the first to break the silence. "I heard you threw Higato Allan against a wall in your Calculus class."

"I never touched him." she answered.

"Physically, in any case."

"Or magically."

Tomoyo frowned slightly. "Then, how did he end up colliding with the wall?"

Sakura sighed and closed her locker. "I wish I knew for sure. I have a theory, but I know it's too crazy to even be true. And yet..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Kero wants to talk to us now. He'll bust a gut if he doesn't get to tell us that news soon."

"Choose a spot away from prying eyes." came a muffled voice from the bag slung over the Card Captor's shoulder.

The three girls couldn't help but chuckle lightly, then left the school together for the small park near the track field. Golden and ocher, crimson and orange leaves decorated every tree, making the few rare green pines stand out even more. The air was thick with the smell of damp leaves, smells of autumn, smells that reminded the Card Mistress too much of her beloved warrior/sorcerer. She fought her tears, very few managing to escape. Much to her surprise, phantom fingers brushed the tears away. Her skin tingled from the light touch, her senses reacting strongly to the presence of the familiar aura. Once out of sight of the school and the road, Sakura let Kero fly out of her bag.

"Now, what so important you had to drag us all the way out of sight for?" Meilin demanded in her usual impatience.

"Just sit down, she-brat?"

"Why?" Tomoyo queried.

"Trust me, you'll want to be sitting down for this." Kero floated over the center of the sidewalk as his Mistress and her friends sat on one of the park's benches. "Now, let me set the stage for what you're about to see."

"Kero!" Meilin groaned.

"So sue me, I have a flair for the dramatic. Anyway, after Sakura came home last night she went straight to bed and wouldn't let anyone come near her. By the way, Sakura, I never did get my dessert last night."

"I'll make it up to you, Kero. Now, please, continue."

"Right. Sometime after Sakura went to sleep last night I started to feel magic. I couldn't see anyone, but I knew there was someone there, so I went on the defensive."

Meilin snorted. "As defensive as a stuffed animal can get."

He glared at her. "I challenged whoever or whatever was there..."

"There was a ghost in my room and you didn't tell me?" Sakura demanded in some visible fear.

"Will you let me finish already!" he shouted. Then, "I challenged whoever or whatever was there and nothing attacked. So I started questioning. Well, you can imagine my surprise when I found out who it was."

"Who was it?" Tomoyo queried, sitting on the edge of her seat from the suspense.

"I'm gonna show you." He turned to the empty air on his left with a proud smirk. "Alright, just like I taught you last night." he near commanded.

The three girls were about to accuse him of going mad when a disembodied voice answered him. "You didn't teach me, flying fluff. We just stumbled onto this and you know it."

"Just do it already before the girls die of impatience." Kero griped.

The trio stared in confusion and shock. There was a spirit in their midst, a ghost, but it wasn't threatening. And the voice had been familiar, or did they just want to hear _that_ voice so badly that they were imagining it? Little by little, in the golden glow of the waning afternoon light, a figure began to take shape. There was no definition yet, only a mass of pale mist taking on a male form. Ghosts usually terrified Sakura to the point of a screaming fit, but for some reason she didn't feel afraid of this apparition. She suddenly understood why when the transformation was complete. Now standing there, transparent, was the one being who could make her heart explode from joy at a single word or smile. Tears flowed down her cheeks as an elated smile spread across her face.

"Syaoran...!"

****

To Be Continued...


	6. Default Chapter Title

30 November, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions"

****

By : The MOUSE........................... 

Eyes closed, Li Syaoran held his breath and concentration for a moment more, willing all the magic within him to make him visible to the present three. This was the only hard part to it. The force of concentration needed to do this hurt immensely, but once his magic was focused on the task it could stay focused on its own without his thoughts having to stay concentrated on it. An added bonus he and Kero had stumbled upon while experimenting the night before was that Syaoran could pick and choose whom it was he wanted to see him. If he didn't want to be seen by someone just yet, then that person couldn't. It was that simple.

"Syaoran...!" he heard Sakura half sob, a smile present in her voice.

There was no way to describe how his name sounded on her lips. He opened his eyes to a sight that would forever be ingrained in his thoughts. Beautiful Kinomoto Sakura, Mistress of the Cards, was crying and smiling all at once. Autumn leaves fell all around her from a breeze rustling through the trees. She always seemed to be at her most exquisite when light objects fell around her; snowflakes, cherry blossom petals, or falling leaves. Syaoran had seen that look on her face before in movies, but not even the best of actresses could make this look of pure and painful elation look so utterly superb.

"Syaoran!" another voice screamed in glee.

Clow Reed's descendant turned in time to see his Cousin charging straight at him with a huge grin plastered on her face. He took a bracing step back.

"No, Meilin, don't!" he warned.

Too late.

Unable to stop her lunge's momentum, the Chinese teen dove right through the apparition of her Cousin. Li Meilin Rae stumbled slightly, quickly regaining her balance before she injured herself, then turned to face her stunned friends and the spirit. Shock was on her face.

"I... I went right through you!" she gasped.

"I'm a ghost, Meilin. Creature without physical substance, remember?" Syaoran chided with a frown.

"But you're here." Daidouji Tomoyo breathed in awe as she pulled out her camera and walked around the ghost in a kind of inspection, recording every moment. "You're actually here and we're really talking to you."

He shrugged as if nothing was. "Apparently."

"Then you're..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

He finished it for her. "Dead? If I am then I don't feel it, but I hope I'm not." He looked at Sakura with a playful glint in his phantom amber eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "And seeing as right now I'm a ghost I'm surprised you haven't gone into a total panic."

A shaky smile touched her lips as she wiped away her own tears, then she broke into a genuine giggle, feeling strangely comforted by the sight of his perpetual frown. "Now why would I ever be afraid of you, Syaoran?"

He raised his arms in a menacing fashion and mock snarled. "Because, as Allan put it, I can be a real scary guy." and he advanced on her.

"Stop it." she laughed in chiding and took a playful swipe at his chest, fully expecting her hand to go right through him as Meilin had done.

But it didn't.

Her hand connected with what felt like a solid body of flesh blood. They all stared in shock. Sakura laid her hand flat over his heart and felt her breath lock in her throat when her fingers reported the presence of a strong regular beat deep within his chest. She flinched, taking a step away from him, startled. A ghost with a heart beat?

"Kero...?" she began, unable to find her words.

"Meilin went through me, but she didn't." Syaoran continued for her. "How?"

Kero landed on his Mistress's shoulder in deep thought. "From what I read last night this shouldn't be possible."

"What did you find out?" Tomoyo queried.

"I'll tell you on the way to your place." answered the Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Besides, I'm curious about that medium your Mom hired." 

And with that they left the small park. 

"Okay. After I found out Syaoran's, for lack of a better term, spirit was still hovering around I starting doing some digging in the Book of Clow on the Portal Card. Just like the Teleport Card, that you have yet to catch, it can transport matter anywhere in time or space, or any combination of, but what it can't do is transport a magical and or living being very well. Strange things tend to... happen."

"So, is Syaoran really... dead?" Sakura questioned, her heart sinking slightly.

"I don't think so. Well, not dead-_dead_."

"What do you mean?"

Syaoran continued for Kero. "When the Portal Card took me I felt its confusion at me. I was living and I had magic and both of those facts were hurting it. So it did the only thing it could do to stop the pain. It split me in half, sort of. Everything that was physically me was separated from the spiritual, mental and magical me. My body was taken since it was now inanimate, and everything else that was painful to it was... well... spit back out. My life force is here and my body is somewhere else, Buddha knows where."

Meilin looked at her Cousin with a concerned light in her ruby eyes. "Basically the soul leaving the body. That sounds like death to me."

"It is, but at the same time it's not."

"Nani?"

"Death by magical means." Kero clarified. "Real death is permanent and not even the strongest sorcerer or sorceress can reverse it. Death by magical means isn't as finite. Depending on how it was done, a person can be revived."

All three girls beamed suddenly at the same thought. "Then we can bring Li back." Tomoyo stated. "Finding the right spell shouldn't be too hard." Both Kero and Syaoran didn't smile, only looked as if they were holding back some extra bit of news that the girls wouldn't like hearing. "What is it?"

"Um... There's a hitch."

"Hitch?" Sakura questioned.

"There's no spell to undo this."

"Nani?" Meilin shouted.

"Tone it done a notch, she-brat! To bring Li back together with his body we have to find the Life Card, and to find the Life Card we have to catch the Death Card. They kind of go hand in hand. With both of them together you can bring him back to how he used to be without problem."

Sakura frowned. "And to catch the Death Card I either have to find my soul mate or learn more magic." She sighed in growing despair. "Neither of which will happen anytime soon I'm afraid."

The teen warrior's spirit gripped her shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. "Have faith, Card Mistress." he told her softly. "Nothing happens without purpose and this is no exception. We just have to be patient and see."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"I have faith... in you. I know you'll find or learn a way to bring me back."

A fleeting smile touched her lips at his admission, her cheeks taking on a slight rosy hue. "I wish I had as much faith in myself as you have in me, but I'll do my very best."

"That's all we could ever ask of you."

"Hey! _My_ Syaoran can teach you all the magic he knows." Meilin suddenly exclaimed. "And maybe that fortuneteller can help you find your soul mate!" 

"Only if she's the real thing." Kero answered skeptically.

Tomoyo grinned in mounting hope. "Worth a try. You never know. C'mon!" and she led them the rest of the way to her place at a run.

* * *

Sakura sighed almost to herself in her dark bedroom. Keeping her covers tucked up around her waist she sat up against the wall that was flush to the side of her bed, thinking about the day's events. It had definitely been a Halloween to remember, one quite unlike the rest had been or ever would be. For the whole day, overlapping into the day before after the capture of the Portal Card, Sakura had sensed a very familiar presence hovering around her. And she had been right. Syaoran was still nearby, in spirit form, but still around. She had no way of expressing how elated she was to know she hadn't lost him permanently as her vision had foretold, but she wasn't sure if she was really quite satisfied with having him around as a ghost. A soft chuckle suddenly escaped her lips as she cast her mind back to the Daidouji residence and what had happened with the supposed medium. For being a conduit for the spirit world, in that, the woman had turned out to be a complete fraud.

* * * 

_

> "Children, this is Madame Mohatip." Tomoyo's Mother introduced. "She'll be performing a séance and then she'll do private Tarot readings for us tonight." 

> To Sakura, Madame Mohatip looked every bit like the classic storybook rendering of a gypsy, all exotic under heavy make-up and shawls. She, Tomoyo and Meilin did their very best not to laugh as Syaoran hovered at the old woman's shoulder, passing a hand before her eyes to test if she could really see spirits. Madame Mohatip frowned at the three girls. 

> "What is so funny, young ones?" she demanded in a very thick European accent. 

> "Nothing." Tomoyo struggled to say as she held back her laughter. 

> Unseen by anyone except the girls, Syaoran made a strange and hilarious face right in front of the old woman. This broke his friends' resolve not to laugh, throwing them into near convulsive fits of hilarity on the floor. They spent the next half-hour after that apologizing profusely to the gypsy as she led everyone to the dinning room. Everyone sat at a long table there, with Madame Mohatip at the head of the table. Candles were lit and incense burned, supposedly to attract any spirits nearby. 

> "Leave one seat free, my children." Madame Mohatip announced to the room. "We must be courteous hosts for the spirit and offer it a place at our table. Here, it shall sit between you and I, child." she directed to Sakura. "Now, let us begin." 

> Syaoran suddenly smirked. "I think I'm going to have a little fun here." he said, unheard by all except his three friends and the Guardian Beast of the Seal. 

> Staying hidden from sight Kero flew up on top of a bookcase to watch everything. 

> Madame Mohatip began to sway as if entering a deep trance. "Oh, masters of the nether realm, I implore that you open the door to the spirit world this night so we may communicate with the beyond!" she intoned dramatically. 

> Syaoran snorted, amused, and Sakura bit her own lip to keep from laughing. 

> "Yes... yes, I sense a spirit!" the gypsy suddenly exclaimed. 

> Gasps went up from the guests while the only spirit in the room looked wholly skeptic. 

> "Spirit, we have saved a seat at our table for you. Please, join us and sit." 

> The young warrior's ghost pulled the chair out, making sure everyone saw the movement, then casually sat in the chair. Sakura couldn't hold in her giggle any longer, neither could Tomoyo or Meilin. Madame Mohatip shot them a strange look each. Most young girls their age would be completely terrified at the prospect of ghosts and spirits, yet these three were giggling. She frowned, but continued with her séance, which she believed was finally working. 

> "Oh, spirit from the beyond, please, tell us your name." she intoned. 

> Syaoran looked up to the bookcase where the Guardian Beast of the Seal was. "Hey, cotton ball, want to help?" 

> Kero grinned evilly and made it a point to clear his throat loudly. "I am the Great Clow Reed, the greatest sorcerer that ever lived, master of the secret arts and creator of the Clow Cards!" 

> The guests were in a near giddy panic. They truly believed they were in the presence of real ghosts. Meanwhile Sakura, Tomoyo and Meilin had given up all hope of going through this night with a straight face and laughed until it hurt. Madame Mohatip was ecstatic. 

> "Oh, great and powerful Clow, can you see what the future holds?" 

> "Hai, but I'm not telling you!" Kero replied in a deep voice. 

> The gypsy became flustered at this refusal. "Have we angered you? Has the laughter of these three girls offended you?" 

> "No! In fact, I'm quite fond of these three, especially Sakura! I've watched over them for some time now! I'll tell them the future, but not you!" 

> "But... but why not me?" 

> "Because I don't like frauds!" 

> The séance had ended there. 

> Hoping to calm her shaken nerves at the whole experience Madame Mohatip offered her services as a Tarot reading. Kinomoto Sakura was the last one to have a reading done. These were supposed to be private sessions, just between the reader and the questioner, but Syaoran was just too curious to know what these Tarot cards held for his beloved Card Mistress's future. Tarot cards were more believable than a séance. They drew upon the randomness of chance; Fate governed each card drawn. One by one the cards were drawn from the deck and laid out in a classic Celtic cross pattern. With each card turned over the gypsy's expression became stranger and stranger. He sat on the armrest to Sakura's chair and watched avidly. 

> "You have many very powerful cards in your reading, Kinomoto-san." the old woman began. "There is great power both within you and around you... You also have a protector... a strong warrior with a equally strong soul." 

> The Mistress of the Cards cast a furtive smiling glance to the watchful spirit sitting at her side. She could have sworn his pale, transparent cheeks took on a red hue. 

> "You are seeking answers." Madame Mohatip continued. "A great problem has been placed before you... the warrior is gone, but not gone... you seek his return... the answer lies with Death. Be strong, Kinomoto-san, and be wary. The answer is near you, just within reach. All you must do is open your heart to see it." 

_

* * *

Kinomoto Sakura gently banged her head back against the wall as she thought. _All you must do is open your heart to see it._ That was what Madame Mohatip had interpreted the cards as saying. She had been right in everything. According to Kero Sakura was the most powerful sorceress of all time. And she did have a protector, Li Syaoran. He was gone, but not gone. She did seek Syaoran's return. The answer did lie with Death. And it did feel as if the answer was so much closer than she thought it was. In the dark of her room the teenage Mistress of the Cards tugged at her covers as she felt a familiar pleasant tingling sensation touch her senses.

"Syaoran?" she called softly, being careful not to wake Kero in his closed dresser drawer.

The sensation flared ever stronger abruptly. "Here." the warrior replied, equally as soft. "Still not sleeping?" he asked, slowly becoming visible.

She shook her head in a negative. She watched him materialize in the center of her room, marveling at the control he showed over an ability that was recently learned. The handsome warrior was so incredible. Nothing stayed a mystery from him for very long. His mind seemed to constantly gather information and store it away to help form solutions. It was the reason so many of their schoolmates called him cold or referred to him as a walking computer. But not to Sakura. To her he was the most loyal of friends and the gentlest of souls. She loved him, that's all there was too it. 

Sakura sighed. "There are too many things to think about. She was right, you know."

"Who? Madame Mohatip?"

"Yeah. She knew about the magic powers, sort of; she knew I had a warrior watching over me who was now gone, but still here; and she knew that the answer to all these problems lay with the Death Card."

"She also said that we were close to the answer."

"The frustrating part is I know the answer is staring me right in the face." Sakura made a motion as if she was reaching for something floating in front of her out of arm's reach. "It's right there, just within reach on the edge of my mind." Her arm dropped into her lap and she punched her pillow angrily. "I'm just too baka to see it." she self berated.

Li Syaoran sat shoulder to shoulder with her on her bed. "Then we must all be bakas since I or Kero or Tomoyo can't see the solution either."

She looked at him curiously, silently enjoying the soft feel of his phantom aura mixing with her own. "What about Meilin?"

He near smirked, staring ahead of himself. "Nah, she's just stupid period."

She frowned at him, then saw him look at her from the corner of his eye, his eyebrow arching slightly to match his grin. She understood and laughed softly. "Syaoran, you're evil!" she accused playfully, giving his shoulder a slight shove.

He gave her a mock pained look, still grinning. "You're accusing me without a trial."

Sakura poked his side in a spot she had learned he was ticklish in. "Evil men don't deserve a trial."

Syaoran squirmed slightly, stifling a chuckle. "Not fair." and he grabbed her wrists to stop her.

She blinked abruptly, looking at his hands. "You or Kero never did explain that."

"Explain what?"

She raised her arms up slightly to show him her wrists still a captive of his hands. "This. The fact that you're as solid to me as you were last week and why Meilin and Tomoyo pass through you like you were just smoke."

He released her wrists. "We didn't have any ideas or theories about it yet."

"But _you_ do now?"

"Sort of. And I think magic plays a big part in all this."

She cocked her head to a side. "I don't quite follow."

"Out of the three of you, only you has magical powers. That's what makes me think that's it's the reason I'm solid to you. Your magic makes me feel that way to you, even un-trained as you are."

A slight frown creased her brow. "And what's that supposed to mean, _un-trained as you are_?"

Inwardly he winced, abruptly realizing his mistake. His poor choice of words made it sound as if he was admitting he was superior to the Mistress of the Cards. That thought was the furthest thing from his mind. More than anything he wanted to be Sakura's equal.

He took a bracing breath. "I just mean your training in the magical arts isn't at the intensity it should be."

Her frown deepened. "Oh? And where is it supposed to be, _Li_? Below your level?" she snapped.

This time he winced visibly, mostly at the fact that she had called him _Li_, and looked down at his transparent hands in remorse. Apart from Meilin, Sakura was the only one to call him _Syaoran_. Truth be known he liked the sound of his name from Sakura better than he did from his Cousin. And now he had gotten the object of his affection mad at him.

__

Baka, baka, baka! he self-berated. "Gomen." he near whispered.

Sakura blinked. Syaoran was apologizing to her? Her irritation at him vanished, replaced by remorse of her own for snapping at him.

"It didn't come out how I wanted." he continued. "I'm not superior to you, we just have different strength." He sighed. "The reason I'm so hard on you a lot is, I guess, because I envy you."

She blinked again. "Envy me? Why?"

A small, almost inperceivable grin touched his lips. "For a few reasons. But I guess mostly because you were allowed to have a normal life growing up. I was never allowed to have that luxury. Because of that you have a kind of... _innocence_ around you that just draws everyone in. You make friends easily."

Sakura stared at him in barely concealed wonder as he carefully examined his hands to avoid her piercing green eyes. He had let his shields of pride and secrecy momentarily drop away, exposing himself, and he knew that if he dared look her in that eye at that moment, before he put his shields back up, that he was likely to do or say something he might regret. No. No, not regret. He only had love in his heart and actions for her so he could never regret anything said or done to her right there and then. Out of the corner of his eye he unexpectedly saw her smile.

"Tell you what." she began in suggestion, her voice soft. "You teach me what you think I should know and I'll help you catch up on all the fun you missed as a child. Deal?" and she held her pinky finger out to him.

He looked at her, at the sincerity in her smile and in her eyes when he finally met them, and hooked his pinky finger to hers. "Deal." he smiled in response to her sweet and addictive smile.

"Sorry for snapping at you." she stated meekly.

"Nah, I deserved it. All the times I put you down in the past, about time you got back at me for it."

"I still had no right." There was an awkward pause. Then, "Is it hard to learn real magic?"

"What you're doing is real magic."

"Not compared to you. I need a Clow Card to call on lightning, you don't."

"Only because I sacrificed my childhood to learn those skills. And, no, it won't be hard for you to learn."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're the most powerful sorceress of all time." Then he smirked smugly, proudly. "And because I'll be teaching you."

She giggled slightly, playfully. "Just for that, here's your first bit of catch up on your childhood." He barely had time to look at her before he was smacked in the face by a pillow. "Lesson one: Pillow fights can break out at any time and are a great way to humble the proud and smug." she giggled at his stunned expression.

He mock frowned, a grin trying to tug at the corners of his mouth. "Why you little..." and he made a grab for the pillow...

... only to get whacked by it yet again.

"Get your own pillow." she giggled.

He chuckled a low growl and reached for a fluffy _weapon_ of his own, receiving a steady pounding from his lovely opponent. He let himself fall to his back to better fend off the attack, both of them laughing at how childish yet amusing this was. There was no intense planning involved in this, no impressive strategies, just wholesome spontaneity. Syaoran finally managed to get the pillow away from Sakura and tossed it to the foot of the bed, out of her reach. With a laugh she crawled away to retrieve her _weapon_ from the floor. He merely grabbed her waist and pulled her back to stop her. Sakura fell back with a muted thud, but not on Syaoran's phantom chest as she had expected.

Rather, she passed right through him.

Completely shocked, both teens didn't dare move, trying to understand what had just happened. Every limb seemed to be matched up with the other's. They overlapped perfectly. Sakura could feel Syaoran's spirit seem to momentarily surround a force deep within her. Her soul? His specter felt so warm within her this way. She felt an almost subtle shift as if his spirit was attempting to touch her soul. She braced herself mentally. How would this feel? Would it hurt? Then a bright white flash of light seemed to explode behind her eyes, her body arching up from the bed from a sensation so pleasurable and so powerful that it bordered on pain. Her gasp of surprised pleasure melded with his, every sensation mirrored by the other at the exact same time. Everything she was and everything he was seemed to meet and blend, the defining lines becoming muted. That was when both Syaoran and Sakura realized what was happening to them. Somehow their magic, their consciousness, their everything were merging into one. Despite the incredible pleasure this was causing her, Sakura also felt fear.

Through the dense fog of his senses reaching nirvana, Syaoran felt her abrupt fear at what was happening. Mentally he blinked. She didn't understand what was going on. She didn't want this if she couldn't understand. And no matter how much enjoyment he got from whatever this was he also couldn't go through with it. He fought against everything in him telling him to stay where he was and he wrenched his spirit form away from the Mistress of the Cards. He would be damned if he forced her into something when she was afraid or clearly reluctant. He loved her too much to be selfish about this and break her trust by dragging her into something she didn't want. To break the intense magic of the moment completely Syaoran backed as far away from the bed as possible, placing the room's entire distance between them. The Card Captors could only stare at each other in confusion, panting as the incredible waves of pleasure receded. What had almost happened to them?

Then the ache began.

It started off as a dull ache deep within them, something almost tolerable. But its intensity grew rapidly until it became like a burning fire consuming them from the inside out. The pain was like a gaping wound that had been ripped open and was now being treated with coarse salt. But, as excruciatingly painful as this was, Syaoran grit his teeth and fought against the pain to help his beloved partner in any way he could. He struck the dresser next to him, rattling it.

"... Wake up,... stuffed animal...!" he managed to call to the dark room. "... I need... your help, fluff ball...!"

"And just what makes you think I'll help you after you insult me?" came a muffled, annoyed voice from inside one of the dresser's drawers. A second barely passed before Kero flew out and glared at Syaoran. "What are you doing here at this time of night, gaki?" he demanded.

"... Never mind... Help... Sakura..." he gasped over the pain and pointed to the bed.

Kero turned in place and gasped in shock at the sight of his Mistress curled in on herself on the bed, near thrashing in agony, whimpering in a desperate attempt to hold in her pained cries. Unconscious tears fell from her eyes. He flew over to her and hovered over her writhing form in worry, unsure of what to do to calm this strange pain.

"What happened?" the magical creature demanded of the warrior spirit.

Syaoran sat back against the cool wall in an attempt to steady himself against the ache. "... I'm... I'm not sure..." he gasped. "... I think... I think we... almost merged..."

"Merged? That's not possible! What do you mean, _merged_?"

"... I mean..." He suddenly blinked, then sighed as the aching began to fade away. "I don't know what I mean. How's she doing?"

Kero looked down at Sakura in time to see her blink open her indescribable tear-filled eyes, her breath deep to help rid herself of the residual pain. She trembled slightly, her skin pale.

"I think she's okay now." replied the Guardian Beast of the Seal. He patted her head gently. "Sakura?"

The Mistress of the Cards sat up quickly, abruptly, and looked from Kero to Syaoran and back in rapid succession. Confusion shone in her bright green eyes. "What... What just happened?" she asked, her voice scratchy.

"Something that's supposed to be completely impossible." was all Kero could reply.

* * *

Weeks seemed to pass quickly after that without so much as a glimmer of sight from the infamous Death Card. It was as if it knew the Card Captors suddenly needed it to solve their dilemma and was purposefully hiding from them to prolong their suffering. This wasn't something Sakura took very well, a sense of growing hopelessness steadily invading her heart with each passing day. It made her feel ever colder deep inside, colder than winter and colder than the thick snow she trudged through on her way to King Penguin Park after school. Though she blessed the Fates to have allowed her to see and feel Li Syaoran as if nothing had happened, there was just something so unsatisfying about only having his ghost around.

__

You're being selfish, Sakura, she self chided. _Just be happy with what you do have._

What do I have? she suddenly questioned.

Ever since the incident in her room all those weeks ago, when she and her beloved warrior had almost merged, an awkwardness had developed between them. Touching was rarer, and they made up excuses to be somewhere else if ever they had to be alone together for any period of time. Sakura sighed heavily. She didn't want to push Syaoran away like this, to distance him from her, but she was afraid. Afraid to accidentally repeat the moment from all those weeks back. But she was also curious. What would have really happened to them? Would they have stopped to exist as individuals? It had felt so incredibly pleasurable, so perfect, so right. She blinked. That's what had scared her. Nothing in this world or the next was _that_ perfect.

She sat at one of the swings and let herself sway in the cold winter breeze. She closed her eyes at the silence. The perfect time to think. Christmas was barely a week away, but she felt none of the usual Christmas spirit she usually did. What was the point of celebrating such a joyous day when the joy had left her heart? She had gone out every night, hunting for the card to bring Syaoran back, without success. Christmas wouldn't be the same without him _really _there. Not that he was hers to begin with. The memory of his admission about loving someone returned. His heart belonged to that mystery girl. A single crystalline tear trickled down her cheek shortly before a familiar, pleasant tingling sensation invaded her mind. Gentle phantom fingers carefully brushed the tear off of her cheek. She forced a shaky smile, keeping her eyes to the ground before her.

"I've been wondering something." she stated softly. "How's that mystery girl you like handling your disappearance?"

Li Syaoran's ghost winced. His half-truth was catching up with him in the worst of ways. "Tomoyo, Meilin and the stuffed animal want to know if you'll be patrolling again tonight." he opted to say instead of answering her question.

Kinomoto Sakura nodded. "As usual, though I doubt tonight will be any different than every other night." She sighed in frustration. "It's hopeless. It can feel me coming and it runs the other way. I can't even sense it because it's hiding itself so well. I know Kero said the cards would constantly test me, but how do I find something that doesn't want to be found?"

"Change tactic." he stated under his breath.

She met his ghostly amber eyes. "What do you mean?"

He mentally cursed himself saying the hint out loud and wished he could just drop the whole subject. But the thing about Sakura's eyes was she could bore right through your best defenses and make you tell her anything. Just like she was doing to him now.

He sighed. "You've been patrolling for it every night for weeks now, actively hunting for it. Don't go after it anymore." He winced at his next words. "Let it come to you."

Sakura just stared at him a moment as she pondered his words. They lit a light within her mind, revealing several plans to draw out the Death Card to her. Each one was more dangerous that the first. Her eyes drifted away to the snow at her feet. She still didn't have enough control over real magic to fight the card on equal footing. She still hadn't found her soul mate. She had studied hard on the former and had searched for the latter, without much success.

"Chances are it'll kill me this time around." she murmured more to herself.

He grabbed the chain of her swing with a determined frown. "I won't let it." he assured adamantly.

She looked up at him with a gentle smile. "Syaoran, your powers barely hurt it the first time. And you can't even hold a sword this time. No, I now know what to expect from it." She smiled sadly. "If I fail at least I know I won't be alone on the other side."

"I can't allow you to do it."

Sakura heard the almost desperate plea rising in his tone of voice. "I'm not asking for your permission. You can't stop me from trying." and she got up from the swing to walk away.

He grabbed her arm to restrain her. "Don't do this." he near pleaded.

She faced him sharply, freeing her arm from his grip. "Then why suggest it in the first place?" she came very close to snapping at him.

"I don't know!" he admitting in clear frustration. "For hope, maybe? A new plan of action that had a better chance of working than the others! You've gone around looking so dejected this last while, I just needed to make you start to hope again! But I'll be damned if you willingly go into something where you know you'll get killed!" He caught himself and took a deep calming breath before gently gripping her shoulders to force her to face him. "Sakura, I want you to live." he told her softly.

She saw a look akin to desperation and fear in the amber depths of his eyes. He was genuinely afraid for her. 

"Syaoran,..." She closed her eyes for a heartbeat, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. Then, when he cupped her face to wipe them away, she opened her eyes again and stared boldly into his eyes. "I want _you_ to live."

With that she wrenched herself free of his grasp and ran from the park. She had to run. If she had stayed Sakura knew Syaoran would have eventually managed to break her resolve in this matter. She had to steel herself from that. She could hear him calling for her to stop, but this was something she absolutely had to do.

For her peace of mind.

For love.

For _him_!

****

To Be Continued...


	7. Default Chapter Title

6 December, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions"

****

By : The MOUSE........................... 

December twenty-first.

Midnight.

The night was briskly frigid. Not a cloud was in the star-studded sky to hide the full moon's bright disk. There wasn't a sound in the air: no dogs barking; no cars; not even jet planes flying overhead. It was quiet, just pure silence, but it was anything but peaceful.

Dressed in a pink, thick parka and matching ski pants that hugged her body's curves, Kinomoto Sakura kneeled in the soft snow solemnly in the very center of the Tomeda District cemetery. This wasn't a place she wanted to be at this hour of night, knowing full well there could be ghosts lurking about, but this was part of her plan to draw out the Death Card. Kero had explained to her that cemeteries were the perfect haunt for the card since it was attracted by death. She held her sealing wand loosely, calmly, across her lap, keeping her eyes closed to better concentrate on the lack of sounds around her. Her magic senses were alert, focused. She had to be. This time there wouldn't be a certain handsome Chinese warrior charging to her rescue. It was her turn to save him. Sakura had made it a point to keep the details of this plan from him. It pained her greatly to keep a secret from her beloved sorcerer, but it was for the best. Had she told him what she was planning to do he would have tried to talk her out of this and with infinitely more success than Kero, Tomoyo, or Meilin.

That trio was hidden somewhere in the cemetery behind some of the large tombstones, keeping a watchful eye on the Card Mistress. They were ready to intervene in case anything happened. Not that there was much they _could_ do if anything abruptly went wrong.

Sakura frowned to herself, mainly to the lack of the card's presence. _C'mon, I know you're here. Where are you?_ she questioned mentally. _I know you want me dead, Death Card. Well, I'm here. C'mon, bite my bait._

Her hand unconsciously went to her throat and gently stroked the black onyx sphere on her necklace, Syaoran's sword in its hidden form. Sakura allowed herself a small smile at the feel of the young warrior's presence from it. Even when she didn't want him around, to protect him, she just couldn't escape him completely. She could always feel him. The thought was comforting and gave her strength.

Abruptly, Sakura began to sense an insistent tugging at the back of her mind through all her comforting thoughts and feelings. She easily recognized this feeling. A Clow Card was approaching. And it didn't take a genius to know which card this was, but just to make sure she carefully narrowed her senses and identified it as her intended target. It wasn't shrouding itself anymore. This was the Death Card, at last. Silently she slipped the onyx bobble from her throat and quietly willed it to become a sword. She wasn't sure if this would work. Syaoran had once told her that all it took was an intense thought to call forth his sword, one very focused thought. But did it only work for him because it was bonded to him? The bobble in her hand twitched slightly. Then it obeyed her silent prayer without further hesitation. She smiled almost proudly. She wasn't completely defenseless now. Sakura stayed on her knees as the tugging on the back of her mind intensified.

__

A little closer, she thought. _Just a little bit closer._

Then, when the sound of rushing wind reached her ears, she dodged right, turning and slashing at the attacking card with her newly acquired weapon. The sword easily sliced through the ragged, fabric-like material that made up the Death Card's body, drawing an inarticulate cry of pain from the dark Clow Card. Sakura rolled to her feet, ducking an intended blow from her opponent.

"I'm not giving up until I finally catch you!" she told the card defiantly. "I _will_ catch you! You're my ticket to getting Syaoran back!"

The Death Card cackled in understanding as it produced the long scythe from the fold of its cloak. It wouldn't make the battle easy for the little Card Mistress.

* * *

With an increasingly frustrated grumble, Li Syaoran's ghostly form walked right through the door to Li Meilin Rae's apartment. He was immediately struck by how quiet and empty it seemed. If his Cousin was there, even asleep, the apartment would seem loud and filled to capacity. She had a way of filling an entire room up with just herself. He frowned and carefully looked around his Cousin's place. It was the same as when he had gone to the Daidouji residence and the Kinomoto residence. He had peeked into Tomoyo's room and had found it empty. It had been the same with Sakura's room. Even Kero was gone. All night he had experience a sense of growing dread at something he couldn't quite identify. It was like an anxiety, but at what? That was what had prompted these visits. He wanted to make sure the anxiety wasn't about his friends. Because of their mysterious absences, in all likelihood, it was.

"C'mon, Meilin, I know you could never resist leaving some clue to what you're doing tonight." he griped. "Show me you're still that prideful."

That was when his sharp eyes noticed a neatly folded piece of paper on the dining room table. He picked it up and carefully unfolded the intricate origami folds. The written contents made his whole spiritual being seem to freeze in shocked fear. 

Only two words were neatly scribbled on the paper.

__

Gone capting.

He raised his head quickly to stare out the window in worry. Somewhere out there his beloved Sakura was putting a very dangerous plan into action. Using herself as bait to draw out and battle the Death Card. She was basically waiting for her own death.

"Sakura..." he breathed in growing fear for her.

His magic senses suddenly flared to life. The battle had started. In slight relief he blessed the link he shared with the beautiful Mistress of the Cards. It had always allowed him to know where she was and when she needed his help. Just like now, though she would probably never admit to it. He raced out of the apartment and into the snow-covered streets. The sensation, the feeling, guided him on as he ran.

__

Hang on, Ying Fa, I'm coming!

* * *

The Mistress of the Cards dodged a blow from the Death Card's sharp scythe and ran from the cemetery. Now that she had found it and drawn it out into the open, she had to try to find a way to seal it without the tools she needed. But not at the cemetery. That place of death was its home turf. Sakura had to find a place just as empty, but that was more familiar to her so she wouldn't risk being accidentally cornered. She could feel the card following close behind her as she ran through the snow covered streets and ally ways. She knew she couldn't run forever, that eventually the card would catch up to her. She had to find a place to confront it soon. As she ran she began to notice her surroundings. Everything was awfully familiar.

__

I'm near the High School, she thought with a smile. _Perfect!_

The Card Mistress ran into the deserted schoolyard, then quickly whirled around to take another vicious slash at the card chasing her. It leapt back, the sword's blade just missing it by a hair's breath, Sakura's balance thrown off for a split second.

__

Damn, this sword is heavy! Syaoran makes this look so easy.

The Death Card seized the moment to retaliate and lunged at her. Using her training as a cheerleader and gymnast, Sakura easily back-flipped out of the way, the toe of her boot purposefully connecting with the card's _chin_. It reeled back away from her from the blow and then just stood there, gauging her, watching for the Card Mistress's next move. Mistress and card circled each other, sizing each other up, expecting the unexpected from each other at any given moment. Sakura held both her sealing wand and Syaoran's sword at ready, her grip relaxed but tight.

Without advanced warning the card charged at her, its scythe held before it. The female Card Captor barely blocked the blow in time with her wand, swinging the sword before her in a wide arc to ward the card off. It flew up out of the sword's way, taking a violent slash at Sakura's arm with its clawed hands, then seemed to disappear into the black velvet sky. Sakura clutched at her injured arm, scrutinizing the sky carefully for any sign of the card. The night abruptly became eerily quiet once again. The only sound she heard was that of her own heavy breathing. Standing just off of the schoolyard she could see Meilin, Kero, and Tomoyo with her ever present and recording video camera. There wasn't anything they could do to help her. They could only watch and offer moral support.

__

I am in way, way_ over my head here_, Sakura thought grimly as she risked an inspecting glance at her wound. She frowned at it. _Great! I'll need stitches when this is over... if I survive._

She turned in place, probing the yard with her magic senses, trying desperately to get a fix on the rogue card. There was a very faint glimmer high above her moving to attempt to get behind her. Sakura grinned to herself. It was a perfect opportunity for her to set a quick trap for the all too confident card. She left it an opening to attack her from behind by keeping her back to the school and only scrutinizing the yard leading off to the street. She felt the tingling glimmer descend silently behind her, right where she wanted it.

Sakura quickly whirled around to face it, her wand raised. "_Death Card! Return to your power con--_ Hey!"

Seemingly anticipating the move, the card backed out of her reach and zoomed off towards the soccer field.

"Come back here, you coward!" and she raced after it.

She stopped as she got to the edge of the field and realized her first mistake in this matter. Never, ever, follow an enemy on the run. One usually ended up in the enemy's trap then. Sakura took a fearful step back and quickly scanned the vast area.

Where was the card?

Her senses suddenly jumped to high alert. Something was coming towards her, but she couldn't tell from where. The card had dropped all its shields blocking her magic sight, basically overwhelming her senses to the point of being near blind. She bit the inside of her cheek in mounting fear.

__

Damn, damn, damn...!

"Sakura!" she heard Tomoyo call to her urgently.

The Card Mistress turned to her friends only to see her, Meilin and Kero pointing at something far above her in terror. Realization hit Sakura like a flash of light and she looked straight up. Framed in the moon's silver sphere the shape of the Death Card was racing down towards her, the shard and deadly scythe held before it in clear intent. A knot formed in her gut. It was the second part to her vision. The Death Card would get its ultimate and final blow in. Sakura felt strangely calm now as she watched the card approach seemingly in slow motion. She didn't fear this for some reason. She seemed to accept it. Prepared to die she closed her eyes and waited. She could almost feel the scythe drawing closer to her throat.

A solid mass suddenly rammed into Sakura's side, knocking her out of the way of the incoming scythe and momentarily knocking the wind from her lungs from the impact. She and the mass rolled away a ways from the Death Card before coming to a stop. Sakura looked up to find herself staring into a pair of worried ghostly amber eyes. She blinked in a mixture of relief and surprise at her savior. The ghost then frowned down at her.

"You've got a serious death wish, you know that?" Li Syaoran told her.

She stifled a near hysterical giggle, then noticed the Clow Card coming towards them. "Uh, could we possibly talk about this later? Roll!"

He didn't hesitate. Syaoran rolled to his right as Sakura rolled to her right, the Death Card's scythe coming down hard between them. The two teen Card Captors quickly got to their feet and stood on either side of the card. As it had done weeks before it completely ignored Syaoran and went after only Sakura. Weaponless, the warrior/sorcerer tried to call upon his elemental magic to distract or stop the card's attacks.

He called on the element of wind.

Nothing happened.

He called on the element of water.

Nothing happened.

He called on the element of earth.

Nothing happened.

He called on the element of fire.

Nothing happened.

Each time her tried to use the elements he felt an incredible drain on his energy. Not only was he weaponless, he was now also magic-less to come to the aid of his beloved Mistress of the Clow Cards. He near growled in frustrated desperation, watching Sakura dodge, block, flip away, and roll away from each of the card's attacks.

__

There's nothing I can do. Then a thought hit him. _Magic feels magic. By the great dragon, there _is_ something I can do!_

Without a second thought he ran to the Death Card and easily leapt up onto its back. Once there he relentlessly punched, kicked, scratched, slapped and tore at the dark creature in order to slow it down. Unfortunately it was a few seconds too short for Sakura to attempt to seal the card. While the shadow-like creature tried to rid itself of the attacker on its back it continued to lash out at the Card Mistress. She didn't manage to dodge or black all its blows, resulting in a few more bleeding tears along her arms. This time she ignored them, concentrating more on finding a possible opening to seal the rogue card. The problem with fighting a Clow Card was it had unlimited energy so it never got tired and the mortal Card Captor could only keep up with it for so long. Sakura now understood both Kero and Syaoran's fears for her. The Death Card would tire her out first and then kill her at its leisure.

With a purely inhuman howl the dark Clow Card ultimately managed to throw the attacking spirit off itself. Syaoran easily twisted in mid-air and landed in a low crouch in the soft snow near Sakura. She quickly came to stand at his side, both keeping a wary and watchful eye on their target before them.

"You okay?" she asked the warrior spirit.

He stood quickly, making sure Sakura was behind him. "Never better. You?"

"Still standing. It's a start."

Both teens noticed the card's sudden lack of action. It just hovered there, watching them carefully, hesitating.

"What's wrong with it?" Sakura queried. "Why isn't it attacking us anymore?"

"I don't know." Syaoran answered with a slow shake of his head. "It's almost as if it's not sure of itself anymore."

"Like it's afraid?"

He nodded. "But afraid of what? Us?"

Sakura frowned in thought. "_The Death Card can only be defeated one of two ways. One is by pure magic_, but our magic isn't anywhere strong enough or controlled enough to be any threat to it."

"_Or it can be defeated by two halves of the same soul in one body._" Syaoran completed. He blinked at a thought and risked a glance at her. "You don't think...?"

She too blinked as understanding hit her. "You and I...?"

""Soul mates?"" they concluded together, their eyes meeting briefly, both blushing suddenly.

Instinct caused them to abruptly jump back, the Death Card's scythe slicing through the air between them. It howled in protest that it missed, swinging its weapon recklessly to keep the destined duo as far apart from each other as possible. Sakura ducked low to avoid a swing from the weapon.

"It's getting desperate!" she called to her partner.

"It knows we figured it out!" he called back, dodging more blows.

She back-flipped away from the card a bit and frowned. "Great! We figured out how to beat it! But how do we use that information against it?"

"I'm thinking!" he assured.

As he thought of a way to use their newly acquired information against their opponent, he carefully observed the Death Card, its tactics, its movements. He noticed that because it floated it was slow in stopping its momentum and even slower when turning around. He knew that to beat it he and Sakura had to combine their abilities and powers. His mind came to two conclusions at once.

"We've got to merge, like we almost did on Halloween!" he told the female Card Captor.

"And just how're we going to get the time to try that?" she called back, barely dodging the scythe, beginning to feel her fatigue.

"Leave that to me! Just be ready!"

"Hai!"

Syaoran stood with his back to the school, a deep frown of determination on his phantom face. "Hey, ugly!" he called to the card.

It turned slightly to acknowledge it had heard him.

"Yeah, you, you Shadow Card wannabe!"

It faced him with a menacing growl.

"Oooo, I'm really scared now!" he taunted with a frowning grin. "C'mon, Blacky, come and get me... if you can!"

Off to the side of the field, staying well out of sight to keep from becoming targets or hostages of the card, Tomoyo and Meilin watched the happenings in horror while Kero watched almost placidly.

"What's he doing?" Meilin questioned no one in particular as she saw her Cousin begin to taunt the Death Card.

"Playing on the Death Card's biggest weakness: its pride." answered Kero.

Tomoyo frowned, recording everything happening before her. "What do you mean, Kero?"

"The Death Card, like real death, prides itself on being the fairest force because it can get anyone or anything no matter what they did or who they are. The Li-kid is a spirit, something the Death Card hasn't killed, but that it wants to try to anyway. Death of a spirit, the ultimate death. The thought of it must be a rush to the card. The Li-kid's taunts are meant to get the card to chase him away to give him and Sakura the precious time, the few seconds or so, they need."

"To do what?" demanded Meilin.

"To merge."

The truth dawned on Tomoyo. "_Two halves of the same soul in one body._ Li and Sakura are soul mates." she breathed in awe.

The Chinese girl grabbed the Guardian Beast of the Seal and shook him harshly. "You knew about this all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell us?" she near shrieked.

"It wasn't my place to tell!" he shouted and Meilin released him. "I only found out for certain when Sakura did a reading a few weeks back. She never finished it, but I turned over the last card after she left. All the signs pointed to the Li-kid. My place is only to watch and advise and help only when it's really, _really_, necessary. I couldn't interfere. They had to come to this conclusion themselves." He looked to the battle. "From the start of this, it was _all_ up to them."

The Death Card charged at the helpless looking spirit with a howl of insulted fury. Syaoran quickly whirled around and ran towards the school. The card was right behind him. The warrior smiled. It was just as he had intended. The wall to the High School loomed closer as he continued to run. A few more steps and there would be nowhere left to run to. He heard the card begin to cackle at the perceived win over the male Card Captor. Syaoran kept on running, not slowing at all as he closed in on the wall. Using all his training he managed to run a few steps up the side of the wall and push off it to flip over the card that had continued to close in on him. The card crashed into the wall mercilessly, unable to stop its momentum, while Syaoran easily landed on his feet and ran back towards an anxiously waiting Sakura. As he neared her he could clearly see fear and apprehension in her indescribable green eyes at what they were about to do. It pained him to see her afraid. He stopped right in front of her and stared her straight in the eyes.

"Trust me." he told her gently.

A small smile touched her lips. "Always." she answered adamantly.

Her soft admission caused a smile to appear on his lips. Her heart was one step closer. He quickly stood behind her and, giving her a precious few seconds to prepare, he then stepped forward, his spirit merging with her body. She couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips at the feeling. His spirit was just so warm. Sakura once again felt the subtle shift of his spirit as he reached for her soul and, like that Halloween night, both their senses were suddenly assaulted by a million and one waves of pure, sensational pleasure. Unafraid this time Sakura closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling as she dropped to her knees. Every thought, every feeling was being shared by the other until it was uncertain from which one these thoughts and feelings originated from. It was sheer bliss, though bliss was as appropriate a word as pond was to describe the size of the Pacific Ocean. The feelings intensified even more, growing to be a bright fire deep within them, melting them together until they were no longer two souls, but finally just one.

All this happened in the expanse of a few seconds. The Death Card, having seen the Mistress of the Cards drop to her knees in the snow, saw its opportunity to attack before the merging had a chance to be completed. It flew towards her like a shot, the scythe held high. It could hear the Card Mistress's friends shouting warnings at her, but she didn't seem to hear them, remaining on her knees. The card cackled gleefully, raising the scythe for the final deadly blow. Once the Card Mistress was gone then the other cards would be released once again and mayhem could resume where it had left off. With all its might the Death Card slashed the weapon downwards.

CLANG!

The attacking card looked down in shock. Its blade had connected with the Li Clan's sword and the Clow sealing wand now held crossed above the Card Mistress's head in a perfect block. The Mistress of the Cards opened her eyes abruptly, but instead of the emerald green the card had expected to see the Card Captor's eyes now glowed a brilliant white light.

She was no longer a simple human being like the rest.

She was now an enlightened being.

A whole soul reunited.

The new being contained within Kinomoto Sakura's body looked up at the Death Card looming above her and gave it a small, almost evil smile.

Now the real battle could begin.

****

To Be Continued...


	8. Default Chapter Title

11 December, 2000

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions"

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

Daidouji Tomoyo gasped at the sight unfolding before her. She zoomed the image in closer with her camera to get a better look and she still couldn't believe it. A small, shaky smile touched her lips at the thought that she was getting all of this, everything, on tape. The Death Card had chased Li Syaoran's spirit towards the school in response to the teen's taunts. The warrior ghost had then managed to flip over his pursuer to run back the way he had come, back to the Card Mistress, Kinomoto Sakura. His spirit had entered her body and she had fallen to her knees in what had looked like blissful rapture. The Death Card had prepared its ultimate blow, raising the scythe high, only to have it easily blocked by the kneeling sorceress. Her eyes had opened then and the sight of her friend's eyes had been the cause of Tomoyo's gasp. 

Both the diminutive Guardian Beast of the Seal and Li Meilin Rae stared at Tomoyo, waiting. Neither could see the battle as closely or as clearly as she could since they lacked a video camera of their own.

Meilin pouted, unimpressed. "So she blocked the scythe, big deal. I could've done just as well."

"What do you see, Tomoyo?" Kero demanded as he landed on her shoulder.

"Sakura... her eyes..." the teen videographer stuttered in shock.

"What about her eyes?"

"They're... they're glowing! They're completely white!"

Kero looked to his Mistress, his face completely blank of any emotion he might have been feeling. "They did it. They merged." he breathed.

Meilin's ruby eyes went wide. "Then, my Syaoran...?"

He pointed to Sakura who was slowly standing in front of a retreating Death Card. "He's a part of her now. There's no Sakura now. No Syaoran. Just a soul reunited."

The two girls watched in barely concealed awe as the being with the glowing white eyes began to advance on the Clow Card, a small menacing grin on her lips. Kero frowned, watching the being carefully. There was something slightly off about it. A complete merge would have meant a merging of the two personalities as well. This didn't feel like the two teens he had watched over for so long. The Death Card felt this as well and backed away with each step the being took towards it. Before, it had nothing to worry about. Energy wise it would have easily outlasted the female Card Captor, but now...

Now, as a soul reunited, the Card Mistress was the Clow Card's equal.

The card knew this.

And, for once, Death was afraid.

* * *

White.

Nothing, but white.

No visible floors.

No visible walls.

No visible ceiling.

Just white.

Sakura frowned, annoyed at all the white surrounding her and at this _place_ she seemed to be trapped in. She didn't know how she got here. There were no doors, no windows. One moment she had been in the delectable throes of the most exquisite waves of pleasure imaginable, then when she opened her eyes again she was here. Wherever here was.

And she seemed to be alone.

She hugged her sides subconsciously to comfort herself. She blinked suddenly and looked herself over. Gone were the torn pink parka and ski pants. She was now dressed in a dress that hugged tight her arms and lithe body, the knee length skirt flowing as if on a perpetual breeze. It was as immaculately white as the _room_. Sakura looked herself over critically with a low grumble of dissatisfaction.

__

If this keeps up I'll never want to see anything in white ever again. 

She looked to the _walls_ or her _cell_ in thought. 

__

For the love of... Where am I? she demanded of herself. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out, dreading the thought of being alone in such a quiet _place_.

But she wasn't alone.

"Sakura?" answered a voice she would have recognized even after a million lifetimes.

She whirled around to face the speaker, a bright smile on her face. "Syaoran!" she exclaimed in sheer relief upon seeing him now standing before her. 

He wasn't a phantom in this _place_ for some reason. He was completely solid, opaque, alive. He, too, was dressed all in white: a mock-neck that defined every curve of his muscles; and straight legged dress slacks. Everything about him: every shade of brown of his hair; the tan hue of his skin; the rich amber of his eyes, were sharp and crisp to the eye.

Unconscious tears burned her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. "I... I thought I was alone here." she near sobbed.

Syaoran felt a great weight painfully squeeze his heart at the sight of her tears. He knew how much it terrified her to be alone. He had heard her voice before actually seeing her. Her back had been to him as she had called out to the white nothingness. Her golden auburn hair was a sharp contrast to all the white. Then, when she had quickly turned to him at the sound of his voice, his breath had been taken away. Everything colorful about her: her skin; her hair; her eyes, seemed to glow from an inner-light. But it was the tears trickling down her cheeks that destroyed everything he had built up to be hard and harsh within him. He could never stand to see her cry. A living angel such as her deserved to smile and to laugh. He rushed forward and tenderly cupped her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"You'll never be alone, Sakura." he reassured softly, lifting her chin slightly to force her to look at him.

She met his eyes and smiled softly. "Arigatou."

He allowed himself a smile, his hands dropping away from her face. "What are friends for? By the way, nice dress, though you could've gone with a more original color." he quipped.

She knuckled his ribs with a small laugh. "Not my choice. If it had been up to me I wouldn't have chosen white." She then sighed. "Any ideas what happened?"

His smile faded, replaced by his usual serious frown. "One. When we merged, did you feel even the tiniest bit apprehensive about it?"

"Um... well... to tell the truth, yeah."

"Same here. I think this is a place for that reluctant part of us to wait things out."

"We didn't _completely_ merge?"

He nodded. "We each had half of one soul, like probably everyone else on this planet, but no one has ever seen or experienced a... a _joining_ like this. Some tiny part of us was scared to completely commit. I'm thinking the soul has its own independent thoughts from us and decided that three minds working together wasn't practical. So it shunt us here, wherever here is. That's my theory."

She cocked her head to the side. "Makes sense... sort of. A soul with its own consciousness. Scary thought."

"Yeah. I just hope it's not doing any damage out there while we're here."

"But _where_ are we?"

He thought a moment, then gently tapped a finger to her forehead. "I think... There."

"We..." She blinked in confusion. "We're..."

He nodded. Syaoran couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked when confused. She blushed fiercely from his smile and looked away with a shy grin. He barely managed to stifle a chuckle and then watched her sit gracefully on the _floor_, her legs tucked beneath her. A look of marvel was in his eyes at how even the simplest of gestures became utterly graceful and delicate when she performed them. Sometimes he wondered how anyone so beautiful could be friends with him. Syaoran sat at her side. Their continued silence wasn't awkward. Rather, it was comforting. Just the knowledge that the other was near and safe was enough. No words were needed. 

Sakura rested her cheek against the back of his shoulder, feeling suddenly safe and secure from the warmth of his body and the welcoming sensation of his aura. "So, what do we do now?" she asked softly.

"Nothing." he replied in a gentle voice, Syaoran's eyes closing at the soothing sensation of her aura. "All we can do is sit and wait."

Sakura closed her eyes, sighing a blissful smile. She wasn't worried, wasn't afraid. She had her beloved _little wolf_ to watch over her. All she was, was content.

* * *

The fight was close quarters, barely enough room for either combatant to use the weapons they had. Moonlight glinting off of a curved steel blade as the Death Card swung its scythe at any opening it saw, adding its claw tipped fingers into the battle to attempt to inflict any kind of damage to slow down its opponent. Without much success. The being with the glowing white eyes dodged every one of the Death Card's blows with seemingly inhuman speed and skill. The reunited soul had the benefit of having inhabited two of the most powerful beings on the planet. It had experience Li Syaoran's intensive lifetime training in the art of battle and magic and it had Kinomoto Sakura's powerful and untapped magic reserves. An equal match to the Clow Card before it.

The card saw an opportunity and lunged at its enemy.

The being, formerly known as Sakura, easily avoided the blade and managed to spin on herself along the length of the sharp scythe. With a final twist she landed a perfect blow to the back of the card's _head_ with the sealing wand to disorient it, then she quickly jumped back to place some distance between her and it.

Death staggered, then turned to its opponent with a vicious growl, then lunged again, stopping its charge short to confront the enlightened Mistress of the Cards. It had already won the battle. The Card Mistress and the strange spirit had been no match for it... on their own. Now they were joined. This confused the card. Soul mates were impossible to find. How was it they knew? 

It swung hard, but _Sakura_ merely leapt up to avoid the sweep. Throughout the battle she didn't yet say a word or make a sound. She only had a slight perpetual grin on her lips and a familiar looking frown, much like now as she faced off with the Clow Card. She stood battle ready, the sealing wand held before her to ward off the card, the sword held over her head in a menace to the magical creature. Death seemed slightly taken aback by the strange expression on her face. It watched in frozen fascination as _Sakura_ took a step back, changing her _at ready_ pose to bring the Li Clan sword to bare. The frown on her face deepened, her grin turning into a smile. With a howl the Death Card suddenly realized what was going to happen and tried to flee, seeing its mistake for not having done something before now.

"_Raiden Shorai!_" a strange voice cried out from _Sakura_'s lips.

With Sakura's magic as a resources to draw on, the bolt of lightning that erupted from the tip of the sword was brighter than even the purest light, blindingly so. The Death Card never had a chance to escape. The bright tendrils of electricity enveloped it in an almost non-stop onslaught of pure energy, forcing an agonized shriek from the weakening card. It almost fell to the snow covered ground, hovering shakily, its smoking form still struggling to get away from the attacker. It was a sharp roll reversal. Whereas it had started off as the attacker, it was now the attacked.

"_Raiden Shorai!_" the reunited soul cried out again mercilessly.

And again a blinding bolt of electricity wrapped around the helpless card. It dropped to the snow heavily, the scythe forgotten as it huddled in on itself, defeated. _Sakura_ was going to conjure another bolt of lightning when Kero came flying out of hiding and zoomed right up into her face.

"Don't!" he warned in his most authoritative voice.

__

Sakura's glowing eyes frowned at the Guardian Beast of the Seal in clear annoyance and pointed the sword at her prey once again for the _coup de grace_. This clearly was not the real Card Mistress or the Li Clan's future leader. Kero stayed in front of her face and frowned in return.

"Your job is to _weaken_ the Clow Card for capture only!" he shouted. "You are _not_ to destroy them! Clow Reed allowed this to happen! You owe him!"

The being with the glowing eyes hesitated, taking a moment to consider the words spoken by the magical creature. Kero could feel a tiny bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face. His real Mistress, or even the gaki, would never even have considered destroying the Clow Card. Killing, even a dangerous card such as this, was not in their nature. This wasn't either of the two teens. Their personalities had been usurped. Anything could happen now. The phrase repeated itself in Kero's mind.

__

Expect the unexpected.

The sword finally lowered after a few tense minutes and _Sakura_ straightened in a mix of bravado and defiance, the sword plunging into the snow with a soft crunching sound. Clow sealing wand in hand, _Sakura_ approached the defeated and whimpering Death Card, then paused before it as if considering her next choice of action. In a surprising move she reached down to it, laying a gentle hand on the card's _shoulder_. It looked up at her, at first confused, then in understanding of the action. It was finally an act of mercy and one of acceptance. Fighter to fighter, she was silently telling it _a battle well fought, you were a worthy adversary_. _Sakura_ gave it a real smile to which it nodded its hooded head. The card raised itself upright slowly, its scythe held at its side again, only this time in a non-threatening fashion. _Sakura_ took a few steps back from it and held the sealing wand high.

"_Death Card!_" she intoned in the strange and hollow voice. "_Return to your power confined!_"

The wand down hard and connected with a glowing rectangle hanging in midair, sending glowing ripples of magic out from it to reach out to the card. An invisible force tugged at the card, sucking it into the glowing form. The rectangle glowed for a moment more before easily floating into _Sakura_'s waiting hand, the image of a menacing black form now on the face of the new card. The word _Death_ was written in bold letters beneath it. Kero released a sigh of relief and smiled at the being in his Mistress's body. Meilin and Tomoyo ran out of their hiding place, both cheering at _Sakura_'s victory. She merely looked at them with a blank expression.

"That was some capture, Sakura!" Tomoyo praised. "And I got it all on tape!"

Meilin frowned at her. "What are you talking about? It's obvious it's my Syaoran who's in control here. I mean, Kinomoto's good, but my Syaoran is the best. And that's what we saw."

"Oh, please! Sakura was the one in control. The intensity of the magic was all her." the amethyst-eyed videographer countered.

"Guys!" Kero shouted. They looked at him. "I told you before. There is no Sakura and no Syaoran here." He looked to _Sakura_. "I'm right, aren't I? They're in there, but neither is in control?"

__

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Thought so." he grinned in self-satisfaction. "Well, it was a great battle, but it's getting really late and cold out here. If you'll just split to let Syaoran and Sakura come back, we can all go home."

The smile faded from her lips and she shook her head in negative.

Kero frowned. "What do you mean, _no_?"

She pressed a fist to her own heart, a pleading look on her face.

The Guardian Beast of the Seal stared dumbly, then near exploded in shock. "You want to what!?" He shook his head violently. "No way! Uh-uh! No how! You let them go right now!"

She shook her head, frowning in determination.

"Kero, what's going on?" Tomoyo thought to question.

"The soul wants to stay. It doesn't want to let our friends come back."

""Nani!?"" the two girls exclaimed together.

"It... it can't do that!" Meilin protested.

"Tell _it_ that, not me." Kero growled.

Tomoyo held back the look of devastation trying to creep over her features as she approached the reunited soul in her best friend's body. "You... you've been looking for your other half for a long time, right?"

__

Sakura nodded.

"You think all this time that you've been searching has earned you the right to stay joined?"

Again she nodded.

"You might be right. But what gives you the right to decided that Sakura and Syaoran can't return?"

__

Sakura blinked.

"You have to let them come back." Kero began. "They have the rest of the Clow Cards to capture. They have a destiny to accomplish."

She frowned and shook her head in another negative.

"You're afraid to be alone." Meilin suddenly voiced softly. "Aren't you?"

__

Sakura nodded.

"Then I understand you better than you think. That's why I didn't want to let my... to let Syaoran go. So long as he was with me I didn't feel alone. But you won't be alone, even after you split again."

She had a confused frown and cocked her head at the ruby-eyed girl. Even Kero and Tomoyo quieted to listen.

"You might never be physically together like this ever again, but you'll never be very far away from your other half." Meilin continued. "As... as much as it hurts me to admit this... Syaoran and Sakura, because of you, share a very strong bond with each other. They love each other a lot; I can see that now. And I know you can feel it too."

__

Sakura nodded slowly with a soft, whimsical smile.

"They have the right to live normally too, or as normal as they can get being the Card Captors. Can you justify destroying two lives just so you can exist again?"

The being with the glowing eyes had a long pause of consideration at this. It was the old cliché: the good of the many outweigh the good of the few or the one. But it so wanted to stay. Could it live with the guilt? Was what this Chinese girl saying true about the Card Captors? If the two accepted to stay where they were, then the soul could remain as it was. Yes, that was the way to go. Ask that the Card Captors remain where they were, together forever. Her eyes closed, drawing herself inwards.

* * *

Li Syaoran's head snapped up abruptly and he stared anxiously at the white nothingness surrounding him and the Card Mistress, Kinomoto Sakura. His senses were buzzing, demanding attention. Sakura had felt the warrior/sorcerer's muscles tense, ready to fight. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked at him. His warm amber eyes were surveying the nothingness for anything out of the ordinary, any movement that didn't belong. Then her senses snapped to life and she gasped softly. 

Something was coming.

Something was happening. 

Something was changing.

Syaoran stood quickly to better protect the object of his affection. He could feel her press close to his leg, a slight fearful tremor coursing through her. He bit the inside of his cheek, his frown deepening. He would defend her with everything he had if need be. The white _room_ they were in went pitch black without warning. Sakura yelped in fear, gripping the warrior's leg tight as he struggled to see in the sheer obscurity. 

Then, with a flash, the darkness lifted and the duo suddenly found themselves in a vast, emerald green meadow of rolling hills. The ethereally beautiful landscape was dotted with the occasional grove of trees and brushes, a clear stream cutting between hills. The sky was a sheer plane of cyan dotted with cottony clouds. And in the distance, nestled in a grove of flower and fruit baring trees, was a quaint looking house. Everything was picture perfect, as if out of a dream.

"Now where are we?" the warrior grumbled.

Sakura blinked, awed by the simple beauty of her surroundings. "Don't ask me, I'm as lost about all this as you are." Looking around she spotted a clump of daisies growing just within her reach. She carefully plucked one of the delicate flowers and sniffed it. "It's real." she reported to her companion.

He went down on one knee facing her and experimentally touched the flower's petals. "Feels real enough." Syaoran suddenly sighed, his amber eyes scanning the glen. "So why does everything still feel... _off_?"

"Off?"

"Like someone or something is going out of their way to _make_ us like this place." He near growled. "I will _not_ be forced into anything that's not of my choosing."

The Mistress of the Cards was about to agree when her senses flared to life wildly. Her hand shot out and gripped Syaoran's arm in near fear. "It's back... whatever it is."

"_You do not like it here?_" a strange yet innocent sounding voice suddenly questioned.

They both jumped to their feet and turned to the voice, Syaoran instinctively placing himself in front of Sakura to protect her. There, before them, stood a being unlike any they have ever seen or encountered in their adventures. It was roughly their height, a being made of an ethereal material that rippled like light reflecting off clear water. It was gender-less and faceless. Only two glowing slits were its eyes. Its voice had been a mix of both male and female.

"Who... _what_ are you?" the young warrior demanded, feeling the Card Mistress press closer to his back for protection.

"_We are a part of both of you, as you both are a part of us._"

Sakura blinked and stepped out from behind Syaoran. "You're our souls, _the_ soul."

"_We are._" it smiled in confirmation.

Syaoran frowned. "Why do all this?"

"_We have been given the opportunity to exist once again. It is an experience we are not willing to give up. But your friends have brought up some valid points on why we should return you to individuality. All you see here is to convince you to stay where you are and allow us to exist as one._" What sounded like a forlorned sigh followed as it looked to the ground. "_We have been apart for so long._" It then suddenly looked up again, fixing them with its glowing eyes."_Will you let us exist? Here, you can be together as we have been told you wish to be. If you give us our opportunity, we will give you this opportunity. Please, will you stay here?_"

Shocked by the offer, both teens hesitated. Sakura found herself turning to Syaoran, gazing at him almost fondly. Would it be that bad to give up the life she had for a life with him? For the moment she could only think of the pros to the argument: to wake up with him every morning; to sleep with him every night; to feel him; to breathe him; to love him every day until the world stopped turning. Then, slowly, the cons of the argument popped into her mind. She would have to leave her Father and Brother, never to see them again; she would never see Tomoyo, Meilin, Yukito, Kero, or any of her friends ever again; she would have to forget about the Clow Cards she had fought so hard to capture. The Clow Cards. If left on their own they had the potential to destroy the world. No, she couldn't stay. No matter how much she wanted that life with the handsome Chinese warrior/sorcerer, she had a destiny to accomplish.

For his part Syaoran didn't notice the gaze from his beloved Card Mistress, so engrossed in his own thoughts as he was. To live a life with Kinomoto Sakura. To have a normal life with her without the responsibilities of capting Clow Cards, without his annoying Cousin, without the responsibilities of the leadership of the Li Clan. The offer was incredibly tempting. Could he accept this? No, he couldn't. This was a coward's way out of every heavy burden of life. Here, a warrior like him would grow soft without challenges. And Syaoran loved a good challenge. Any challenge: a fight with a Clow Card; fending off his Cousin's advances; finding a way to stay in Japan; winning Sakura's heart. He looked at her and found her eyes, eyes that could put even the finest emerald to shame, watching him almost expectantly. He almost sighed in relief, terrified of what might have happened had their opinions differed. She had come to the same conclusion he had. He couldn't stay, no matter how much he wanted to. Syaoran looked to the soul, that glowing being that had waited patiently on their answer. The warrior only had three words to tell it.

"We can't stay."

* * *

Standing in the cold and in the snow the reunited soul in Sakura's body opened her eyes. She looked at the Clow sealing wand in her hands, then turned to stare at the sword still planted in the snow behind her. She yanked it free of the ground immaculate blanket and stared long and hard at both wand and sword. With the barest of thoughts she transformed both items back to their pendant forms. Then again she stared from one to the other, feeling the owners' auras radiating against her hands. She met three pairs of anxious eyes. Barely a minute had passed since _Sakura_ had withdrawn herself to question the two minds within her. She sighed and cinched the pendants at her throat.

The glowing eyes shut tight to the world once again. Then, with a flash of light, Sakura was abruptly thrown forward as Syaoran's spirit split from her, thrown backwards. They fell into unceremonious heaps in the snow, dazed and stunned, panting for breath as if they had been running all this time. Sakura managed to raise herself to her knees, her face still downcast as she tried to recover, while the teen warrior/sorcerer managed a supreme effort to get to her side. Their friends gathered around them in worry. They looked pale, despite the fact Syaoran was a transparent spirit. Clow Reed's descendant mentally steeled himself for what he knew was coming next. If this merging was anything like what had almost happened to them on Halloween night, then there would be incredible pain coming soon. He could already feel it burning him from within like a lump of molten lead within his core. The warrior's pain threshold was high, he knew that. He also knew that the pain was no doubt devastating for the female Card Captor. The spirit froze in growing fear when he turned his phantom amber eyes to Sakura. 

Her face was hidden from sight by the furry rim of her hood, but he could clearly see the tiny droplets of crimson blood fall to the immaculate white snow.

"Sakura?" he managed to call softly, his voice a bare rasp as he tried to ignore his mounting pain as much as he could.

She raised her head quickly at the sound of his voice. Too quickly. She was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea and dizziness, abruptly feeling lightheaded over top of her increasing pain. Sakura could feel something warm, wet and sticky trickle down over her lips and chin. The liquid tasted of salt and iron, familiar. She touched her face and looked down at her gloved hand.

Blood.

A nosebleed?

Her dazed and confused green eyes looked to Syaoran for a moment before they suddenly glazed over and she collapsed to the snow, her name from Syaoran's lips the last sound she heard.

****

To Be Continued...


	9. Default Chapter Title

18 December, 2000

****

Author's Note: _I know this part took a long time to be posted and I apologize. December was never a quiet time for me. I'd like to thank Sumiki, Digidestiny and Bczeon27 for all your encouragements and help. Flame me if you must for posting it this late, but enjoy this latest installment. This is kind of the end, but not the end. Never mind, you'll see what I mean. Warning: this is a long one. Ja ne!_

****

Card Captors 

****

"Dimensions" 

****

By : The MOUSE...........................

Doctors, medical residents and nurses ran back and forth in the Emergency Room, shouting orders and information to each other as they went. At their center, lying prone on the examination bed, was the pale and still form of the world's most powerful sorceress, Kinomoto Sakura. A clear breathing mask was strapped to her face over her mouth and nose, forcing oxygen into her lungs with each shallow breath she took. Half a dozen different machines monitored her life signs while several intravenous bags dripped clear, colored and red substances into her veins to help repair what damage had been done. Her own blood still stained her face from the nosebleed and the blood trickling from her mouth. The deep lacerations along her arms had been stitched and bandaged. No questions had been asked on how she had received the injuries.

Standing off to the side of the room, his eyes the deep color of Tiger's Eye never leaving Sakura's form for even an instant, was a silent and completely invisible watcher. A lone wolf. The Chinese warrior had his ghostly arms crossed over his chest, the tip of his thumbnail lodged firmly between grinding teeth in worry. Li Syaoran could barely stand it. His Ying Fa, his eternally beloved soul mate was hovering ever closer to death and there was nothing he could do except watch. He had just recently discovered that she was meant to be with him, they were of one soul. But he had waited too long to tell her how he truly felt. And now he was losing her, her usually bright aura growing ever dimmer. 

Despite the medical team's best efforts, Sakura was slowly slipping away. The chief medical doctor was nearing his wit's end.

"What's her BP now?" he demanded of a nurse.

"Eighty over sixty and falling."

"X-rays?"

"Negative, no breaks." a resident replied.

"CT scan?"

"No signs of bleeding or head trauma."

"PET scan?"

"Also negative for trauma."

He peered anxiously at the partially clothed body lying on the examination bed. "Dammit, then where's all this blood coming from? There has to be a bleeder somewhere!"

"Found them, multiple bleeders!" a nurse called from an ultrasound monitor, holding the scope over Sakura's chest. "Stress lesions all along the superior Vena Cava spilling into the chest cavity! More lesions along the anterior left lung and the bronchi! You can barely see them which explains why the PET scan didn't pick them up! That's where the blood's coming from! Together they're spouting enough to bring her pressure down significantly!"

"Right, well done! Prep her for immediate surgery! Have six units of A positive ready for her up there and have some O positive ready as a backup in case we run out! Let's move, people!"

Syaoran watched in abject worry as they wheeled the Mistress of the Cards away at a breakneck speed. From what little he understood of the medical jargon, his Ying Fa was dying. But these doctors could save her. They had to save her.

__

Please, Sakura. Come back to me, he pleaded silently, desperately, feeling a great weight tighten around his heart.

* * *

"And just what was she doing at the school yard at _this_ hour?" Kinomoto Touya demanded, his voice raised in livid anger.

Daidouji Tomoyo and Li Meilin Rae cringed at the worried rage written on the face of Sakura's older Brother. "I told you." Tomoyo began the lie yet again. "She got a call on her cell phone from someone claiming to be Naoko and who said she urgently needed her help."

"And why were you two there?"

"Sakura, go alone someplace? As if! She called us to back her up. She felt something wasn't right about it all."

"You, I understand, Tomoyo, but why did she call _her_ to come along?" and he viciously stabbed a finger at Meilin.

The fiery-eyed Chinese girl frowned in growing annoyance. "Whether you like it or not, Sakura and I are friends now. She doesn't need your approval or permission to be friends with someone or like someone, no matter what you think."

He glowered and took a menacing step forward. "Why you little--"

"That's enough, Touya." Kinomoto Fujitaka warned patiently.

"But, Dad--"

"I said, _enough_!" He sighed. "I know you're worried about your Sister. We all are. But that doesn't give you the right to vent your anger and frustration on her friends." 

The tired and worn looking man motioned for the two teen girls to come sit at his either side and he held them both comfortingly as only a Father could. 

"Sakura will be just fine. She has a strong and stubborn spirit, just like her Mother did. She'll pull through this."

"Of course she will." Tomoyo agreed, near choking on a sob.

Meilin felt a little awkward. She wasn't used to this kind of affection from someone whom, only moments before, she had considered a stranger. The few times she had met Sakura's Father she had been very determine to upstage his Daughter in everything, to belittle her at every turn. But he didn't seem to remember. Or he had forgiven her for it all. All he was right now was a Father worried about his Daughter. A man silently thankful his little girl had such good friends in her life. Meilin blinked. So this was the reason for the amount of love and forgiveness in Sakura's heart. She was surrounded by it in life.

Slight movement caught her eye and she looked up. Easily passing through the closed door as if nothing was there was her Cousin's spirit. Try as she might, she would never get used to seeing him do things like that. He seemed to pause, as if unsure her should even be in this private waiting room. Meilin felt sorry for him. Syaoran never had been able to handle the waiting and worrying about a loved one. It was often too much for him. She also saw the look on his face that said he knew what was happening to his heart's desire. Meilin slowly pulled herself away from Sakura's Father and stood on shaky legs.

"I think I'll get us all some coffee. Tomoyo, come help me?"

Bravely holding back her tears of worry for her childhood friend, Daidouji Tomoyo looked up and noticed the phantom hovering near the door behind the raven-haired girl. She blinked in understanding. 

"Oh, yeah, right, sure." and she followed her out behind the spirit, making sure to bring the inanimate Kero along.

They walked the halls in silence, following Li Syaoran's ghost down a quiet, unused hallway and into an empty storage-like room. Once out of sight Kero sprang to life immediately and flew up to be at everyone's eye level.

"So, you were in the ER. What's going on with Sakura?" the Guardian Beast of the Seal demanded rather impatiently.

The warrior had a slight, pained hesitation, looking down at his transparent hands. "They just took her up to surgery now."

"Surgery?" Meilin blinked, understanding how serious everything had become. "What for?"

Again he hesitated. "They... they found... lesions along one of the major blood vessels and her lungs. They're going to try to fix them."

Kero let himself drop into Tomoyo's hands at the news, his tiny form trembling in growing worry and concern for his Mistress. "How... How did this happen?"

"They said it was stress. She never let it show. I should've known. She hasn't had the needed training to cope with Card Capting. There are meditations you're supposed to do to decompress."

"Will... she be alright?" Tomoyo thought to ask.

"... I don't know." Syaoran answered heavily, tears beginning to burn his eyes. "But, by the Great Dragon, I hope so. She _has_ to be all right. She just has to."

* * *

Eternally long minutes soon changed into infinitely long hours. Numerous empty cups of coffee now littered the waiting room's low table and part of the floor. Tomoyo tried to get some rest on one of the couches, her head pillowed on Fujitaka's thigh as she held Kero close for both of their comfort, but found sleep just wouldn't come. She was too restless. Kero twitched nervously in her hands. Meilin sat in a nearby chair, her arms wrapped around her legs to have her knees tucked under her chin. She stared at the blank wall across from her. Touya paced the room in mounting impatience at the lack of news about his little Sister.

And in a far corner, elbows resting on his knees, his face hidden in his arms, was the specter of Li Syaoran, unseen by all except his Cousin, the videographer and the Guardian Beast of the Seal. Worry was slowly and steadily eating away at his spectral heart. He looked to the other occupants of the room, noting the level of worry each one showed. He loved Sakura more than all these people combined, he was certain of it. Touya was her Brother; his was family love. Tomoyo was her best friend since a tender age; hers was the love of a best friend. Kero was her Guardian and protector; his was the love of a defender. Fujitaka was her Father, a special emotion but family love just the same. And Meilin was a new friend of Sakura's, a blossoming affinity for the kind teen that had forgiven her. 

But Syaoran's affection ran deeper. He was Sakura's soul mate, her partner in Card Capting. He saw her at her best and at her worst. He knew everything about her without her having said a thing to him. The wait was excruciating for the apparition. His tortured mind and heart asked him what he would do if she happened not to survive the surgery. The answer was plain and quick in coming. Syaoran wouldn't seek to reunite with his body. Instead he would let go of the thin thread holding him to the mortal world and join his beloved partner in the next world. She was his reason for existing. He couldn't live without her, not now after having known her, lived and fought at her side for so long.

__

Think positive, Syaoran, he suddenly argued with himself. _She'll survive this. She's strong. Think more what you'll do if she _does_ survive._

A tiny smile touched his lips at the thoughts he conjured in his mind. _I'll give up my clan for her. She's my everything. I realize that now. Living without her is pointless._

But what will you do_?_

Anything I have to!

"Hey, Meilin?" Touya called as he paced, attracting everyone's attention to him.

"Yeah, what?" she near snapped.

"Where's your gaki Cousin? I would've thought he'd be here."

She paused, meeting her phantom Cousin's eyes for guidance. "He... He doesn't know she's in the hospital. He's been in Hong Kong for the last month and a half." she lied, receiving an approving nod from Syaoran.

"Hong Kong? What for?" Touya probed.

"Family business. I'll call him later to let him know. He'll want to know this."

"Why would that good for nothing gaki want to know what happened to my little Sister?"

Again, she looked to her Cousin's ghost who nodded, urging her to say the words. She sighed. "Because he loves her."

Touya froze in mid-step and rounded on her. "He _what_!?"

Meilin held her ground with a frown. "He loves her. I know he's been in love with her for the last four years, but I never wanted to admit it."

Touya was near livid. "That gaki attacks my Sister the first day he meets her and now you tell me he's been in love with her all this time!? _Who the hell gives him the right?_"

"She gave him the right!" Tomoyo shouted, abruptly sitting up.

He looked at her. "Nani?"

"Sakura gave him the right! I know for a fact Li would rather die than let anything bad happen to Sakura! It kills him to know she's hurting in any way! She tells me everything and she told me she loves him too! Both of them are just terrified to take the next step because they have you breathing down their necks to keep them apart!"

Syaoran's eyes were as wide as Touya's as they both stared at Tomoyo. It was true. The Card Mistress and the amethyst-eyed videographer were the ultimate of best friends. They had no secrets from each other. And if they did it never stayed a secret for very long. And Tomoyo would never lie about something like this. Hope once again sprang to life within the teen warrior's heart. All these years, Sakura was his and he didn't even know it. All he had to do now was ask her. The decision was made. His clan would lead itself; he would stay with his soul mate.

Touya dropped heavily into a nearby chair in a stunned shock just as someone knocked gently on the door. Bare instants later a doctor and a medical resident walked in. Everyone's anxious eyes were focused on the two. The medics looked at them all sitting quietly in clear confusion.

"We heard screaming...?"

Fujitaka waved off their concern. "Just the settling of a problem." He then looked at them in abject worry. "My Daughter... Sakura..."

"Will be fine now." the doctor smiled reassuringly.

A great sigh of utter relief went through the family, friends, and lone spirit. Even diminutive Kero almost forgot to keep as still as a doll at the wonderful news.

"The surgery went very smoothly." the resident continued with a smile. "We managed to keep her blood pressure stable all the way through it. She's a very strong young lady. She's presently recovering in the ICU as we speak."

"When can we see her?" Meilin queried, surprising even herself by the request.

"In a few hours from now, at the start of visiting hours. Give her time to fully recover from the anesthetic first. I suggest you all go home and get some rest. If there's any change in her condition we know where to contact you."

For the first time in several hours Tomoyo got up with inanimate Kero in her hands and walked up to the two medics. "I was wondering... Could you put this on Sakura's pillow? I know she'd feel a lot better if she saw him nearby."

The medical resident smiled. "Of course." and he accepted the Guardian Beast of the Seal from the teen.

Syaoran's eyes smiled at the teen as she retrieved her coat from the couch. "Arigatou, Tomoyo. Now I can just follow them and see where Sakura is."

Unseen except by the spirit, she smiled in return with a slight nonchalant shrug. "Anything for the most kawaii couple in the world." she whispered ever so softly as she slipped on her coat.

The warrior didn't argue with her this time. He couldn't. He had just learned the love of his life would live and that she loved him as well. How could he deny that? He merely stood, unseen, unfelt, next to the two medics and watched as his friends and Sakura's family left the hospital in much lighter spirits. Things were actually starting to look bright again. And, possibly in a few days, he would be restored to his flesh and blood self. A smile crept over his lips. He had plans for after that happened. A sudden yawn from the medical resident snapped him out of his reverie and he turned to the two medics.

"Long night?" the doctor questioned of his co-worker.

"Yeah." this one replied simply.

"C'mon, I'll buy you a coffee downstairs."

The resident smirked a slight wince. "Oo, cafeteria coffee. Yeah, that'll keep me awake for the rest of my life. Or kill me right there. Just let me drop off the stuffed animal here and we can go."

Syaoran laughed, glad these medical personnel couldn't hear him. But Kero did and fumed silently at being called a stuffed animal by someone other than the young warrior, struggling to stay as still as possible while he planned a mini revenge. The hospital's intensive care unit was eerily quiet at this time of day. The only sounds were the occasional hushed whispers from the attending staff, the beeping heart monitors in various rooms and the whooshing sound of the respirators. A deep and solemn feeling hung in the air here. The ghostly warrior followed close behind the medics in complete silence, not daring to look through some of the open doors for fear of what lay beyond. He kept up with the duo and followed them into one room in particular. He froze at the door at the sight he beheld.

There she was.

There was the beautiful and ethereal Card Mistress lying amid thin white hospital sheets that seemed to cling to her form. The warrior almost believed the thin sheets to be taunting him, silently telling him that he would never be as close to her body as they were. Was it possible to be jealous of a blanket? Her hair formed an auburn halo around her head on the soft pillow. A thin breathing tube passed under her nose to encourage her to breathe. A number of machines beeped and hummed as they monitored the teen girl's life signs. High tech machines. Machines the Chinese phantasm was completely unfamiliar with. Syaoran had been trained and schooled in the ancient arts. The new sciences of medicine and chemistry were something he was still trying to get used to. If he stared at these monitor screens long enough he could probably figure out what each one was responsible for, but his warm phantom eyes were too engrossed in gazing at the sleeping beauty on the hospital bed.

"Miss Kinomoto?" the resident called gently to the sleeping figure as he approached the bedside. He looked nervous, as if he had no right to disturb the slumber this angel. "Your friend asked me to give you this. It's your stuffed animal." and he nestled Kero on the pillow.

Kinomoto Sakura slept on, still under the influence of the anesthetic. The resident sighed a small smile as he walked back to the door. Both medics stood there for a long moment, just staring at the recovering teen, not seeing the spirit that moved to stand at her side.

"Got to admit, she a looker." the doctor finally stated.

"That she is. Whatever guy will manage to land her as a girlfriend can consider himself the luckiest man alive." and the two left.

Kero sprang to life as soon as they were out of sight, his round face red with anger. "I am not a stuffed animal!" he very nearly shouted.

Li Syaoran chuckled in clear amusement. "See? I'm not the only one who thinks you look like a--"

"Don't say it!"

He grinned almost evilly. "A stuffed animal."

Kero growled in menace. "Just you wait until you're solid again, gaki. Then you'll regret it."

"Right. I am so scared." he chuckled.

Syaoran turned his attention back to his beloved sleeping soul mate, his smile softening in great affection towards her. He silently pulled a chair over to her bedside and sat, resting his arms on the edge of the bed to simply watch her sleep. She was exquisite, a work of art made flesh. Her every line, from the curve of her neck to the sweep of her nose, was sheer perfection. Her breaths were slow and regular now; her once pale and ashen skin had recovered its rosy hue once again. He rested his chin on his arms with a silent sigh, carefully toying with a lock of her honey auburn hair. He could watch her sleep for an eternity if he wanted to. He did want to, but he also wanted her to wake up. The piercing evergreen of her eyes was a sight so much more magical to behold. A person could drown in their sea of green. And he desperately wanted to see them again. Of all her stunning features, her eyes were the most striking of them all.

Kero watched him carefully, noting the tenderness of his actions towards his Mistress. As much as he didn't like the Li Clan warrior/sorcerer it was plainly clear that he would never willingly or otherwise be able to hurt Sakura in any way, that he would always protect her. The Guardian Beast of the Seal was almost jealous at this, but at the same time he was reassured that she would always be safe if she stayed with the young warrior. He had seen the young warrior's feelings evolve from one of hate, to rivalry, finally to affection. From there the affection progressed. He sighed to himself. Clow Reed always knew that if ever there were two Card Captors they would ultimately fall in love. They fought for the fate of the world together; they had the weight of an almost impossible destiny on their shoulders. No one could really understand them and their plight save for each other. It was a strong bond, made even stronger by the fact they were soul mates. An added bonus. Kero crawled across the pillow to be on the other side of Sakura's head and curled up into the crook of her neck. There he drifted off to sleep, secure in the thought that nothing would ever happen to his Mistress now.

The Chinese protector continued to watch his adored soul mate, unable and unwilling to tear his eyes away from her even for an instant. He didn't notice the hours tick by, his whole attention focused on the sleeping angel lying before him. Syaoran felt he could never tire of just gazing at her. Mentally, he grinned. In spectral form he didn't need sleep or food to keep him going so technically he could stay here forever. Each look, each glance revealed a new and subtle beauty to add to an already infinitely long list. He smiled. And she was his match. This mortal goddess was his soul mate. Never in his life had he ever dreamed he would want someone so completely. Five years ago, had someone asked him if he would ever fall in love he would have beat them to a bloody pulp for even suggesting the notion. 

Now... 

Syaoran couldn't picture his life without her. To never see her glowing eyes, to never see her smile or hear her laugh, to never again feel her warm pink aura. The thought was painful. He trailed a gentle finger across her cheekbone and saw her twitch slightly at his touch. His head shot up at this. The anesthetic was finally wearing off. She was waking up. Her lush black lashes fluttered slowly as her green eyes blinked open. The fantastic orbs shone through barely open slits, momentarily staring at the ceiling. Then, having felt his aura so near, she turned her eyes to Syaoran. A weak smile touched her lips as she turned her head towards him and his heart melted all over again.

"... Syao-... ran..." she managed in a hoarse whisper.

"Hey." he greeted softly with a smile.

"... Hey..." she returned.

"How're you feeling?"

She sighed. "... Like... a torn up... rag doll..."

He chuckled lightly, overjoyed that she would be all right. "Well, the beautiful _doll_ did have something wrong with her so they opened her up, fixed all the little problems, then stitched her back up again." She smiled, amused, and Syaoran stroked her head gently, feeling his whole ghostly being warmed by her smile. "You had me-- _us_ worried."

Her eyes twinkled in the dim light, catching the quick correction he had made. "... Gomen..."

"It's not your fault, Sakura. You could hardly help it."

"... Hos-... pital...?"

He nodded. "Tomoyo called for an ambulance on her cell phone right after you passed out." he explained.

"... Others...?"

"Well, the cotton ball is sleeping on your shoulder there. Visiting hours start in about three hours from now. The doctors suggested the rest of them go home and get some rest before coming back. Meilin and Tomoyo will come by after school. No doubt your Father and Touya will be here in exactly three hours, to the minute."

She nodded slowly with a smile, a smile that suddenly vanished at a thought. "... What... hap-... pened... to me...?"

He paused, then sighed softly. "Card Capting is hard and stressful business. It takes years of intensive training to get one ready for it. You never got the training you should have gotten for it. The stress punched holes in all the wrong places. Combine that with the pain from separating..."

Her eyes quivered at the memory. "... It hurt... so much... felt... in-... complete..."

His eyes softened. "I know, I felt it too." and he tenderly thread his phantom fingers through her bangs. "You should get some more rest now. You've been through a lot."

"... Can't..." Tired and pained crystalline tears fell from her eyes, her bottom lip trembling, as she tried to curl herself into a fetal position. "... Hurts... so much..." she began to sob softly.

Everything churned painfully within the young warrior at the sight of her tears. This was his weakness. She was his weakness when she cried. His throat felt suddenly constricted. "Don't cry, Sakura." he pleaded. "I could never stand to see you cry." he tried to soothe as he dotingly wiped away her tears with feather light fingers. "It'll be alright."

But his words and gentle actions didn't seem to help her.

"... In-... complete... Feel... so alone..." she hiccuped quietly.

He blinked abruptly at her words, a sense of understanding invading him. He knew exactly what pain she was talking about and why she was crying this way. The larger part of their beings had joined, merged completely, and for a short time they had existed as one. He could remember how that had been, how it had felt. There was no way to quite describe it, a feeling of such utter peace, of being whole, complete. It had been as if his life's puzzle had been assembled, all the missing pieces had been found. And, yes, being apart again did hurt. It was a deep hurt. A soul hurt. More than anything his soul screamed to be a part of her again, to be ever so near. And he so wanted to join, to merge with her again, but his heart screamed no. She would never survive another joining. He would not be the selfish instrument of her death. In the blink of an eye Syaoran threw down all the hard walls he had spent years building up and carefully stretched out at Sakura's side, enfolding her pained and trembling form in his wraithlike arms. Part of the dull ache he felt within him eased, comforted by the feel of her heart beating against his phantom chest. Silently he blessed the Fates for at least allowing him to feel solid to the one person who meant the world to him.

"Shhh, I know." he soothed gently in her ear, tenderly stroking her hair. "I feel it too. Hurts all the way past the heart."

She nodded shakily. Her tired and leaden arms clutched at his near transparent figure to keep him close, thankful he was solid to her. He felt so warm compared to the glacial feeling she felt deep down. 

"... Feel... so cold..." she sobbed in a hush. "... So... alone..."

His arms tightened protectively. "You'll never be alone."

She raised her eyes to look at his dark gold eyes. "... Promise...?"

Syaoran hesitated, delicately wiped away her tears. "I break every other promise I ever made by saying this, but, yes, I promise you'll never be alone in this world or the next... beautiful Sakura."

Sakura blinked in surprise at his words, a pleasant thrill racing up her spine.

"Go to sleep now, my Cherry Blossom. You need your rest." he whispered.

A tiny, blissful smile touched her lips as she let herself be cuddled in her beloved warrior's arms, his airy breath tickling her cheek soothingly. "... Must already... be... dreaming..." she managed to breathe.

"What makes you say that?" There was a smile in his gentle voice.

"... Never... used... pet names... before..."

He tucked a stray strand of her hair away from her face. "Then maybe I should start."

Glowing springtime green met warm golden ocher in slight confusion at his words. What was he saying? He already had his mystery girl, didn't he? His ghostly fingers trailed a light path along her jaw line, banishing all her further silent questions from her mind, his ethereal eyes seeming to memorize every aspect of her face with great attention. Sakura felt her heart start to flutter, a blush coloring her cheeks. He was just so close. Then his phantom lips tenderly and gently pressed against her brow in a loving caress. She sighed a delighted smile, her eyes closing on their own.

"... Syao-... ran..."

A light finger touched her lips to silence her. "Shhh, sleep now and know you'll never be alone... I promise."

* * *

Sakura observed Kero polish off his sixth helping of butterscotch pudding in bored interest, tugging at the thin, pale blue shirt of her hospital issue pyjamas. Sometimes she marveled at how much the tiny creature could eat without exploding. But he was a magical being after all. He probably had a black hole for a stomach. Still bored she cast her mind back to the events of that morning and chuckled lightly. It had been completely understandable that her Father had been worried about her. He was her Father. But it was the caring concern Touya had shown that had greatly surprised her. He nearly fawned over her, making sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed within easy reach within the private hospital room she had been moved to. He even went out of his way to get her anything she wanted. She remembered how invisible Syaoran had laughed at her Brother's anxious efforts, unheard by all save her and Kero.

Hours later Tomoyo and Meilin had stopped by for a visit on their way home. They brought her numerous speedily written notes and well wishings from friends who had learned what had happened to her from the two girls. A fictitious rendition, of course. The modern world wasn't yet ready to know about her abilities or about the Clow Cards. Sakura counted her lucky stars each and every night that she had such good friends as the two teen girls.

Sakura sighed abruptly and stared up at the ceiling, beginning to count the tiles there in the dark. A soft breathy chuckle reached her ear from the room's door. Tearing her eyes away from the ceiling she saw the wispy outline of her beloved warrior framed in the light from the hallway. Syaoran leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest with his head cocked to the side. He still wore the ghostly rendition of his clan's traditional battle costume. A shivery warm smile was on his lips. She smiled at him. Silently she blessed him for having stayed after everyone else had left for the night.

"Of course I'll stay." he told her softly.

Sakura blinked. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

He pushed off the doorframe and walked towards her. "We've been partners for five years, Sakura. If I don't know what's going on inside that pretty head of yours then we have a problem, now don't we?"

She blushed a timid grin. "You know me too well."

The ghost sat in the chair close to her bedside with a serious expression. "Sometimes I think not well enough." He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. Then, "Why didn't you tell me you were going after the Death Card last night?"

Her grin faded as she stared at her hands in shame. "I'm sorry about that, really, I am. It's just, I knew you would've tried to talk me out of luring it out in the open to fight it."

He frowned. "Damn right I would've."

She met his eyes. "But I had to try anyway. I... I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something without having to always rely on you being there to back me up. I guess I still have a lot to learn before then, but I had to try."

He nodded slowly in understanding, knowing how important it was to know and prove you could stand on your own two feet without someone always there to hold you up. He had done the same with his clan all those years ago, trying to prove to the that he was both ready and worthy to do things on his own. It wasn't something that had been easy to do, even for him. He suddenly smiled at her. 

"I think it's that stubborn streak of yours. Keeps you from hearing words like _no_ and _can't_ and _quit_."

"Would you have rather she quit all those years ago?" Kero questioned casually as he licked his spoon.

Syaoran leaned back in his seat with a thoughtful expression. He thought back to when he first realized she was a Card Captor and he tried to force her to give him the cards. He winced as he remembered having hurt her in the process. She had been timidly brave, sure yet unsure, defiant of his claim on the cards. Her confusion at it all back then had made her look so painfully adorable. Part of him had noticed her for who she really was, a stunning young girl and classmate. But the devoted warrior in him had shunned those thoughts, deeming them soft. Now, he saw such amorous and caring thoughts towards her as his greatest strength. Had she given up the cards five years ago then he wouldn't have given her a second glance and would have missed out on the best five years of his life. He shook his head in negative in answer to Kero's question.

"No, I think things are a lot more... _interesting_ this way." He unexpectedly began to chuckle, turning back to the Card Mistress. "And I know for a fact the stuffed animal and I would've never gotten along. At this date I would've probably been fingerless."

Sakura giggled as Kero growled menacingly, his little body floating up from the table to add emphasis to his anger and annoyance. "I am _not_ a stuffed animal!" 

His face abruptly contorted and turned an unnatural shade of green, his arms holding his stomach. He burped.

"Oh, too much pudding..." he groaned.

His tiny paws quickly clamped over his mouth with an expression of panic and he dashed for the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Ew!" the Card Mistress laughed.

"Wow! I didn't think he'd ever be able to get _that_ full." the spirit chuckled.

"That or it's because he was eating hospital food."

He laughed. "Even better."

"On a different note, when do you think the doctors will let me out of here?"

He sobered and straightened in his seat. "Ah, there I have excellent news. A little while ago I managed to sneak a peek at your medical chart. By the way, I didn't know you had a mole on your--"

"Syaoran!" she chided in shock.

He shrugged it off casually with a playful grin. "Anyway, they're letting you out tomorrow afternoon."

"That soon?"

He nodded. "I think they call this sort of thing _drive-thru surgery_ now."

She grimaced. "A side order of fries with that bi-pass." she quipped grimly. "But, in a way, I'm glad I'll be out tomorrow."

"In what way?"

"In the way that I still have one friend to shop for before Christmas."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "Who?"

"You, baka." she giggled. "It's the ultimate Christmas gift. Out there somewhere is a body with your name on it."

He chuckled. "Oh, that."

"Don't tell me you actually forgot, you of all people?"

"No, not completely." Syaoran warmly covered one of her hands with his own. "I just had a more important concern on my mind." he smiled timidly.

An awed smile spread across her face and she carefully turned her hand over to grip his transparent hand. He was being so caring towards her all of a sudden. Not that she wasn't flattered, but she was also confused by it. Why was he doing all this now? Whatever happened to the love he had for that mystery girl he had mentioned to her a while back? Had that girl given him up for dead or loss after so long? She smiled inwardly in growing hope. The other girl's loss if she had given him up. But how anyone could possibly let him go was beyond the Card Mistress. Amid these and some such thoughts, something odd struck Sakura. And the more she focused on that particular thought, the more a pondering frown formed on her face. She should have at least one card in hand, shouldn't she?

Syaoran noticed the subtle change in her aura and looked up, seeing her frown. "What's wrong?"

"Just wondering something... Do either Meilin of Tomoyo have the Death Card? They didn't mention it to me if they did or not."

He paused in recollection. "No... I don't think they have it."

"The hospital staff then?"

"No, I would've seen it and-- Oh no!" he abruptly exclaimed, sitting bolt upright in shock.

"Nani? What is it?" she demanded in urgent concern.

"I know where we left the card."

"Where?"

"Back at the schoolyard."

"Nani!?"

"We were so busy trying to get you some help and keep you alive until then that we didn't immediately notice you drop the card. We forgot about it."

"Oh, for the love of..." and she leapt out of bed onto shaky legs.

He took hold of her shoulders to both steady and restrain her. "And where do you think you're going?"

"To get that card." she replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, no, you don't! You can barely stand right now. Call Tomoyo or Meilin and they'll go find it for you."

"But--?"

"No buts. Give yourself time to rest and recover from the surgery." He cupped her face tenderly. "Please, Sakura. Almost losing you twice is more than I can handle."

Her green eyes pleaded for a moment more, trying to make him see the urgency of the situation, then seemed to relent to his gently voiced plea. It was to no avail to argue with him. Sakura may have been stubborn, but the _little wolf_ was just as bad. Worse at times. She lowered her head in defeat and allowed him to turn her back towards the bed in order to get her to rest again. She took a step forward as if in compliance. At the last minute she twisted on herself and ducked under Syaoran's phantom arms, out of his grasp, bolting for the open door.

"Sakura!" he called after her, he and a still queasy Kero beginning the chase.

The teen Card Mistress's stitches burned atrociously with pain, still fresh from her emergency surgery just the other night, as she ran down the hospital corridors, but she ignored the pain and ran on. She could hear her beloved protector and her magical guardian both calling to her to stop, but she ignored them too. She was on a mission. She had to find the Death Card before someone accidentally released it. Part of her mind chided Kero for being so careless. How many people could see and hear him now. But then another thought answered her chide. All these people were either staff or patients. The staff could chalk up the sight of the tiny creature to being overworked while the patients could blame their medication for the hallucination. A small grin touched her lips. He wasn't as careless as she thought. Running hard to catch up to the lithe High School cheerleader, Syaoran saw a medical gurney be wheeled into the hallway by an unsuspecting male nurse not far ahead, effectively blocking the girl's path of escape. He silently hoped that would be enough to stop her.

It wasn't.

Calling on her years of gymnastics training she lunged over the gurney, going into a perfect and flawless diving roll. Quickly she got back up to her feet and continued to run before the hospital security, nurses, or Syaoran could stop her. On she ran...

Down stairs...

Past stunned hospital staff...

Past doctors and nurses...

... until she finally reached the main door leading outside.

The night was bitterly cold, biting at her skin through the pyjama's thin fabric. Her bare feet crunched in the snow, making it seem as if she was walking on sharp knives or broken glass from the cold. The sky had opened up to dump feather light crystals of ice on a gentle yet frigid breeze. She continued her sprint, dashing across the near empty street and darting into an alley beyond it. Try as they might, Syaoran and Kero had a hard time trying to keep up with the escaped teen girl. She knew Tomeda District like the back of her hand so she knew the streets and alleys that were otherwise a complete maze to the teen warrior. Turning another bend he lost her from sight, but he didn't panic at this. He knew where she was going.

"Kero, go find Meilin and Tomoyo!" he called to the Guardian Beast of the Seal hovering above him. "Bring them to the High School!"

"What do you need them for?"

"If we lose her again, four pairs of eyes will be better than two!"

"Good point!" and the creature flew off to do as ordered as the warrior sped on towards the High School.

* * *

Kinomoto Sakura reached the schoolyard in record time, her breath pained and labored from the race and her stretching stitches. She looked around anxiously, trying to find some trace, some little clue of the battle fought on the previous night. The snow had been completely trampled by the students going about their daily classes. There was nothing for her to go on. An ever so slight tingling at the back of her mind told her that her soul mate would join her in a few minutes' time. She had to find the card before he arrived. Concerned as he was he would only try to force her back to the hospital.

Sakura shuddered.

She didn't like hospitals all that much. When she had been three her Mother had died in a hospital. She knew it wasn't the doctors' fault, but the fear remained that these were places where people died.

Sakura brushed the thought aside and focused on finding the lost card. She used her magical senses to sweep the snow covered ground to locate the powerful Clow Card. Her senses tingled suddenly at one particular spot in a snow back. She dove straight for it, digging frantically with cold and numb hands. In the distance she heard the Elementary School's clock tower chime two in the morning. Part of her mind was shocked at how much time had passed. Of course her room had been devoid of timepieces and windows so she never could be sure of the passage of time. Again she pushed the thought away and concentrated on the task at hand. She clawed at the crunchy snow in growing desperation until her numb fingers finally revealed the shape of the Death Card. Sakura laughed in relief as she held the card up to the moonlight. The cloaked, dark figure of Death holding its scythe stared back at her from under its hood. Then the background of the card seemed to catch the Card Mistress's eyes.

It was a grove of some sort with a gaping chasm at its center.

She blinked.

Why was that image so familiar?

"Sakura!" she heard a familiar voice call to her in the distance.

She turned in panic. _No, not now! Please, I'm so close to the end of all this!_

Then she thought of a trick that Kero had taught her to fool the magic sensitive. It had to work on Syaoran as well. Concentrating hard on completely suppressing her aura she ran towards the other end of the schoolyard where a group of trees grew and quickly hid behind them. Short moments later a misty form came running around a corner into the vast schoolyard. The figure stopped and took notice of the hole in the snow Sakura had dug.

__

Please, don't find me, Syaoran, she pleaded silently. _Please, not yet. Let me find the Life Card first._

She looked down at the card in her hands.

__

Where have I seen that place before? she questioned about the background with a frown. 

Then it hit her like a flash. She _had _seen this place before. Syaoran had showed it to her all those weeks back. She had to get to King Penguin Park. If she could get there that night without being seen then her beloved _little wolf _would live once again, as he had always done. She frowned at herself for not realizing before where the Life Card was.

__

Oh, sometimes I can be such a dense baka! and she ran off, making sure to stay out of sight.

* * *

The spirit of Li Syaoran ran around the corner to the stone fence surrounding the High School into the vast recreational yard. It was eerily quiet at this time of early morning, but one could almost hear students laughing and calling to each other all the same. That much residual energy from hormone driven teens was powerful magic indeed. He examined the trampled snow and noticed a recently dug hole in one of the low snow banks. He approached it for a closer inspection, kneeling in the snow. He could easily feel the residual imprint of Sakura's aura from this area. It was still fresh. She must have spent at least a few minutes digging here and had obviously found the card. His dark, near golden eyes raised from the hole to look around.

But where was Sakura now?

The snow was so horribly trampled that it was impossible to locate her footprints. He closed his eyes to the world and stretched out his senses: listening for her breath; feeling for her aura.

Nothing.

Not even a precious glimmer.

His eyes snapped open in surprise to this. As he stood Tomoyo and Meilin came running into the schoolyard with Kero flying in their lead. For the moment he ignored them as he turned in place, visually and magically surveying the vast snow covered area to find his beloved partner. Syaoran felt an unfamiliar emotion well up within him as he failed to find her: panic.

"Well, where is she?" Kero demanded.

"I... I don't know." Syaoran replied, still looking around for any sign of Sakura.

"What do you mean by that?" queried Tomoyo, irked at having been awakened so early in the morning.

"I mean I got here and she was already gone."

Meilin frowned, unconvinced, stifling a tired yawn. "Li Syaoran, you _always_ know exactly where she is no matter the situation."

He nodded, still looking around. "Usually."

"So you should be able to find her now without trouble."

The warrior's ghost shook his head in a negative. "If I knew where she was right now do you really think I'd still be standing here looking completely lost?"

Tomoyo could only stare at him for a moment, seeing a very different person than the warrior/sorcerer she had known for the past five years. He was always so confident, but now he did look lost, and more than a little worried. It didn't take a genius to see something was wrong. Part of her understood why. One didn't hang around with magic users for so long and not learn a few things about their senses. The lack of an aura usually meant the person was dead. For him not to feel the Card Mistress's presence was in itself a bad sign, but she didn't want to believe it. Sakura was not dead. She refused to believe it, but she needed to be clear on the subject.

"Li, what are you trying to tell us?" she asked him carefully, verbally pointing out his anxiety to the oblivious Meilin.

His haunted eyes continued to scan their surroundings desperately. "What I'm saying is that, somehow, I _can't_ feel her anymore. She's... _gone_."

* * *

Sakura leaned heavily on a street lamp, a hand pressed to the center of her chest as she panted desperately for air. The bandage wrapped around her chest didn't seem to want to stretch enough to let her breathe. The tiny row of stitches burned with pain from her exertion. Her whole body felt frozen, but she knew she had to press on. She was almost to her destination, no use quitting now. She could afford to go a little slower, certain no one was following her. Her bare feet were so cold and numb that she didn't feel the sharp ice or snow beneath them. At a slow jog Sakura continued down the street towards the park's entrance just ahead. Sakura stopped just within the stone arch and gazed at the ethereal scene offered up to her eyes. The snow looked so white and pristine in the moon's silver light, almost untouched. A recent snowfall had covered all signs of activity while she had been in the hospital. It was a winter wonderland of glowing snow and twinkling ice.

She jogged along one of the park's many paths until she came to a stone bridge. She smiled, memories from weeks past flashing before her mind's eye. The _escape_ from Meilin and then the playful _fight_ she had with Syaoran over his pendant. She touched the onyx sphere hanging at her throat with the Key of Clow. At least the hospital staff had let her keep it with her. Then, pushing the memories away, she leapt over the railing to the hard, frozen ground below. The once babbling brook was now a solid pane of ice shimmering in the moon's interstellar beams. After a few moments of walking on frozen mud and frosted reeds, she arrived at a vast and tall wall of trees and stone.

She looked up at the imposing wall, her expression grim. _Last time I had the Jump Card to get over this thing._

She mentally cursed herself for not having taken them with her for the battle against the Death Card, even if they were useless against it. 

__

Can't go around it, can't go under it, can't go through it, have to go over it, Sakura.

Foothold by foothold, branch by branch, the teenage Card Mistress managed to climb the tree and stone wall to where it thinned out. She carefully squeezed between two mighty boughs and began the slow, cautious descent on the other side. Her near frozen limbs made both the climb and descent all the more treacherous. She could barely feel the handholds or footholds beneath her. And ice made the cold, stone ledges slippery, something unfelt under her numb feet. Carefully she negotiated them to the largest ledge where the now bare cherry trees stood. She remembered the day when Syaoran had first showed her this magical place, remembering the natural beauty of it all. Or should she say magical beauty. This was a creation of the Life Card. Her vision suddenly began to blur as she approached the edge of the ledge. Her legs finally gave out and she fell to her knees.

__

No! she wailed inwardly. _I will _not_ be stopped now! I'm so close!_

She gripped her pendant and concentrated, causing it to glow and float before her.

__

"Oh, Key of Clow,

Power of magic, power of light,

Surrender the wand,

The force ignite!

Release!"

The Clow sealing wand formed from the key-like pendant, instinctively finding its Mistress's waiting hand. She closed her eyes to help steady her rapidly spinning world.

__

"Life Card! Reveal yourself in your true form!" she ordered to the grove.

She felt rather than saw the energy and magic swirling to coalesce into the glowing figure that represented the card. To her magical senses it felt warm, comforting, loving. A friendly card. Sakura felt relief fill her heart at this. She wouldn't have to fight the card to seal it. It was a good thing since in her present condition she neither had the strength or the energy to do it. Sakura's dizziness got worse. Was this the card's attack? Her limbs were aching from the cold. She had stopped shivering a long time ago. She knew this was a bad sign.

"... Please... one request... Bring... Li Syaoran... back to... life..." she pleaded. She could barely keep herself awake since she was so cold. "... If not... a trade... My... life ... for... his... please..."

She couldn't hold herself upright anymore and let herself drop to the frost covered ground. She felt the card approach her in worry. It caressed the Mistress's head with a warm and gentle hand, confused that she didn't try to seal it. Instead, she asked for a life to be restored, to trade her life for another's. Why? Why was this other she was trading for so important to her? The Life Card decided to wait. It wanted to see who this other was to have commanded such devotion from the Card Mistress. But it wouldn't accept the trade. If anything, Life was fair. If the other didn't want this trade, then it would find another way, but in the end it would discover why she was so willing to die for the other.

"... please..."

Sakura felt a subtle shift in the card, a feeling of acceptance. All it needed was the warrior/sorcerer's spirit here to complete the deal. The teen managed a tiny smile and abruptly dropped all the barriers that blocked her aura from the world.

__

I'm ready to be found now, Syaoran. Find me, she wished before passing out.

* * *

Syaoran was nearing utter panic, something completely unusual for him. Of course, these were unusual circumstances. His adored partner, his soul mate, was nowhere in sight. And to make matters worse he also couldn't feel her aura. Ever since he had come to Japan, five years ago, he had already been able to feel the Card Mistress's presence. It's what had alerted him that he was in the right place to find the Clow Cards. Her presence had always been a bright and comforting spot just on the edge of his mind. It was what had kept him close to her all these years. Peace, joy and love simply radiated from her, feelings he had never experienced before but that he relished. But now there was nothing, no glimmer, and this terrified him.

"Take it easy, Li." Tomoyo tried to soothe the agitated spirit. "We'll find her soon enough. There has to be an reasonable explanation to why you can't feel her."

"Yeah." Meilin readily agreed to help ease her Cousin's worries. "It could be she's just too far right now."

He shook his head in negative. "Distance was never a factor. She could be across the planet from me and I'd still feel her, just on the edge of my mind." 

He noted how Kero remained silent about his missing Mistress, his tiny body fidgeting slightly. It was odd that the Guardian Beast of the Seal wasn't making more of a fuss over Sakura's disappearance. Syaoran fixed him with a frown. 

"You know something you're not telling us." he accused, calling the two girls' attention to the creature.

Kero looked decidedly nervous under the gaze of the three teens. "I... uh... that is..."

"Spill it, cotton ball."

"It's... um... a little something I taught her... um... a way to _hide_ from other magic sensitive."

Tomoyo was intrigued. "How does it work?"

"Just by concentrating hard enough Sakura can pull her aura inwards and _hide_ it, make herself invisible to a magic sensitive. To enemies trying to kill her she would seem dead."

"So why is she using it against Li?"

Syaoran suddenly blinked as he remembered the conversation he had with Sakura earlier. "... something to prove..." he muttered softly.

Meilin heard him and frowned. "Something to prove?"

"She told me earlier that she wants to prove to us and herself that she can do this without having to count on our backup."

Tomoyo's lovely features frowned as she pondered this, then shook her head in a negative after a short moment. "No, I don't think that's the only reason. She's determined to do this on her own, yes, but not just to prove she can. She's determined to get you back the way you were. Am I right in saying that if you found her right now you'd physically force her back to the hospital?"

"Hai."

"Then that's it. She knows that's what you'd do. She wants to do this as soon as possible and bring you back because she loves you, but you'd only end up stopping her."

He blinked at the words Tomoyo voiced. He still found it hard to believe Sakura, the amazing and ethereal Mistress of the Cards, the most powerful sorceress he had ever encountered, loved his insignificant little self. Then he frowned, still frustrated at not being able to find his soul mate. 

"All this is great and good, but it doesn't tell us where--" 

He froze suddenly in mid-sentence, going stiff as a very familiar glow touched his senses.

__

I'm ready to be found now, Syaoran. Find me, came a sweet and gentle voice in his mind.

He blinked, allowing his mind to instinctively latch on to the direction the voice and feeling were coming from. It was Sakura, calling to him. It was like a magnet's pull, a siren's song. He _had_ to follow it. He could hear the trio with him questioning him in worry at his sudden silence. Syaoran never answered them. In the blink of an eye he was off and running, his whole being focused on the guiding glow of Sakura's beautiful and warm aura. He didn't bother to check to see if the others were following. He didn't even bother to circumvent walls or other obstacles in his way. The shortest distance between two points was a straight line, and there was nothing straighter than the line he was following. All he was really concerned about was finding his beloved heart's desire.

"Kero! Fly up higher! You'll be able to keep an eye on him for us!" Meilin ordered as she and Tomoyo ran hard to catch up to the warrior.

The Guardian Beast of the Seal didn't argue, only did as told. The running ghost was their only lead to finding the missing Mistress of the Cards. Their link was a powerful one. Kero's sharp golden eyes could see the spirit pass through everything in his path as if nothing was there. Syaoran was following a very straight line in a direction that couldn't be mistaken.

"He's heading for the park!" Kero called down to the two running girls.

"Stay with him, Kero!" Tomoyo called in return as she and Meilin began to negotiate the streets and alleys towards King Penguin Park.

* * *

The dark of night faded to a paling midnight blue of the pre-dawn hours. The air was still now, quiet. The park's snow covered ground was crisp, un-trampled by the day's many people. Not even the lone ghost running across the grounds broke the silence or disturbed the pristine snow. Syaoran ran hard, his mind focused on the beacon-like presence somewhere ahead. He stopped when he reached a familiar stone bridge and looked around to orient himself. Part of him noted that he wasn't even breathing hard after such a run. There were some advantages to being a spirit. Peering over the railing he noticed a pair of footprints along the brook's bank. The warrior allowed himself a smile. The feeling had been right as always. He leapt over the railing and ran along the bank. Sakura's aura got stronger as he approached his destination.

But there was something off about it.

Instead of the gentle and soothing swirling pattern it usually was her aura was now a chaotic mess. A jumble without control. A lack of thought. Was she unconscious? He ran faster in worry. In her condition, her being unconscious was dangerous. He ran until he reached the wall of tall tree and stone, one of his secret hide aways in Tomeda District. He could feel Sakura's presence just on the other side of this wall.

He smirked. _No need to go over this thing when you can just walk through it._

Syaoran took a bracing breath, closed his eyes and took a step forward right through the barrier. It was an odd sensation passing through otherwise solid objects. It was like walking through water. There was resistance, but if one pushed hard enough one could get through whatever the object was.

He reached the other side of the wall and felt himself reel and gasp at the onslaught of sensations. Syaoran hadn't been to this place since the incident with the Portal Card. The power in this place had always been spectacular, but in spirit form it was near overwhelming. His magic senses were at their highest in this form. He forced his eyes open he hadn't realized he had closed, concentrating to dull his senses to the magic. The grove and chasm still looked as mysterious as ever, now devoid of the greenery for the winter season. His ghostly eyes glittering in the dim light, drifting over his surroundings. His heart wrenched painfully at the scene.

There, lying on the forbidden end of the ledge, was Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura.

Her pale form looks so still. And hovering above the motionless body was the glowing form of the Life Card. The being was feminine in form with pure white skin and immaculate long robes and long, flowing, pale gold hair that seemed to float on some unfelt breeze. It had large doe eyes of the most azure of blues that peered down at the unconscious Mistress of the Cards. It seemed almost concerned and confused by the teen lying before it. Afraid for her life Syaoran rushed to Sakura's side. He would defend her with everything he had and was since she couldn't do it for herself. The warrior stood protectively over the body of his beloved, ready for any attack, glaring at the card.

But the Life Card merely floated back away from him in a clear show of non-hostility.

The ghostly teen blinked in slight surprise. He had only ever known Clow Cards to attack, never to back away this way. He held his menacing stance just the same, ready for any tricks. "I won't let you hurt her!" he ground with ferocity.

The card smiled sweetly, placatingly, with a shake of her head in a negative. She wouldn't do either of them any harm. Syaoran's protective stance relaxed slightly, suddenly curious about this card. The Life Card then pointed to Sakura, made a kind of switching motion with its arms before it, then pointed to Syaoran. The Chinese warrior blinked in rapid succession as he tried to piece together what the card meant.

__

Sakura...

Switch...

Me... 

He frowned.

__

Sakura... switch... **with me!?**

His eyes suddenly went wide in pure shock. How could his beloved partner have even suggested, let alone, thought of such a thing?

"No!" he shouted at the card.

The glowing Clow Card flinched and looked at him strangely with blinking blue eyes.

"No switch." he continued, a little calmer. "I won't let her give her life for me just so I can live. I don't want to live without her!" he ended vehemently.

The Life Card tilted it head to one side, staring intently at the young warrior/sorcerer as if trying to determine if his words were true or not. This gave Syaoran his first real opportunity to get a close up view of the card floating before him. It... she... was ethereal in its own right though, to Syaoran, no one could compare to Sakura. The card's loose robes and long hair floated lightly on the mysterious breeze that held it aloft, making it seem as if it had gossamer wings. But it was its face that kept the specter's focus. Its features were soft and beautiful, but not in a wholly attractive or lustful way. It held elements that seemed familiar to the warrior. Its expression was gentle, almost bordering on chiding in a way. He knew that look.

Syaoran abruptly blinked.

This was the expression no child ever forgot. This was the loving look of a life giver. This was the patient expression of a Mother. A tiny grin touched the corner of his lips. It made perfect sense it should look this way. Mothers were the Universal symbol of life for they were the only mortal creatures who could grant and give life.

The Life Card suddenly smiled, coming to a conclusion. It pointed to the young warrior spirit, placed a hand over where its heart would be if Clow Cards had such an organ, then pointed to the unconscious form of Kinomoto Sakura. Syaoran blushed fiercely, his pale cheeks taking on a deep reddish hue, understand what the card meant by its actions. He looked down at the sallow form lying at his feet, abruptly feeling pain grip him deep within at seeing her so limp and frail this way. It pierced him to his very core. The sorcerer kneeled at his sorceress's side and carefully cradled her limp and frozen form in arms incapable of giving enough warmth to help her. The thought of losing her entered his mind again since the hospital. This time it seemed possible it would happen and there was no subconscious voice trying to talk him out of such thoughts. Sakura was just so pale, so limp, and so unresponsive. It seemed impossible she could ever survive this. His remaining emotional walls came crashing down as tears began to fall from his eyes. Phantom tears. Tears that became nothing more than mist as soon as they touched the female Card Captor's cheek. Syaoran looked up at the Life Card with baleful golden eyes.

"I'll give everything I am to have her survive." he whispered, his voice hoarse from the amount of emotion and affection he felt for the teen in his arms. "I just found out she was a part of me. I can't lose her now... not without having told her how much she means to me... how much I love her."

The Life Card watched the young warrior carefully cuddle the sorceress, unable to wake her. It saw the vaporous tears being shed by the wraith for a life he was unable to save. It could feel the deep soul pain he was feeling for his partner. The card smiled softly. He was devoted to her, heart and soul, willing to give his life for her. Just as she had been willing to give her life for him. What the card was witnessing was the reason for their selfless sacrifices. They loved each other, completely. But the card had seen them all those weeks ago and had seen them arrive here separately. This was a sign that these two teens had not yet voiced their feelings to each other. They were oblivious to each other's feelings, afraid. As the card looked on in sympathy a thought entered its mind. This boy could still save the girl he loved, but not as a wraith. True, it itself could just revive her easily, but that would take away the sense of worth from the warrior. He had to feel his life had purpose still. The Card Mistress had asked it to restore the sorcerer to life. This it would do.

The Clow Card floated down to the duo and gently touched the apparition's ghostly cheek. He looked at it and waited, blinking away tears. Deftly it freed Sakura's body from Syaoran's arms, gently caressing the girl's motionless face, then set her down on the cold ground. Then it took its creator's descendant's hands to lead him away by a few steps. It tapped Syaoran chest with its fist and shook its head in a clear negative, a frown marring its lovely features.

The warrior cocked his head to one side with a puckered brow. "You can't give me back my body?"

The glowing being gave him an apologetic nod.

Disappointed, Syaoran could only say, "Oh." His fears were true then. Not even the Life Card could restore him. 

The card abruptly broke into a wide, pragmatic grin and held up its index finger to tell the spirit to wait a moment. It floated back a ways, still facing the confused wraith. For this next action the card needed ample room. Its hair suddenly grew to an impossible length while its robes seemed to lengthen and expand, both swirling wildly towards the hapless specter. Before he could even think to move out of the way the hair and robes had him surrounded, covering every inch of his non-corporeal form in follicle and fabric. He couldn't move at all, feeling these strange bonds contract against him to hold him firmly in place. Li Syaoran mentally cursed himself viciously for ever dropping his guard around a free Clow Card. Whatever this attack was he could feel every molecule of air burning his ghostly skin. His phantom heartbeat and mimic of a living breath sounded so much louder to his ears.

Was this spirit death?

Just when he thought he would be completely overwhelmed by the sensations and sounds the card was forcing upon him, the cocoon surrounding his vanished without warning. Dizzy from the onslaught, Syaoran fell to his knees, panting for breath. He blinked in abrupt realization.

__

He was out of breath!

Spirits didn't need to breathe, yet he could clearly feel the crisp winter air filling his lungs with each desperate pant. Then he registered the pain in his knees from having fallen to the hard and unforgiving ground. 

__

Pain! 

Real pain, not just some mimic or habitual emotional response. A smile began to grow on his lips. Solid, opaque hands came up before his eyes. 

__

His hands. 

Real! 

He was real! 

Syaoran laughed breathlessly, a touch of hysteria present in the outburst, watching his breath crystallize in the cold air, a bitterly frigid temperature he could now feel. But, for once, he didn't care about feeling the cold night.

He was alive!

The warrior beamed his gratitude to the innocently grinning Life Card. His fears had been unfounded. The card had lived up to its name. Then, the cold made Syaoran remember an all important fact. There was someone else in this magical place who could feel the bitter freeze that reigned and had no way to fight it properly.

"Sakura!" he breathed in abject concern, whirling around to return to his sorceress's side.

In one fluid movement he tossed his belt aside and gathered up her form in his arms, slipping her limp body under his green robes to have her close to himself. He could feel how frozen she was even through the white tunic he wore under his robes. Combined with recent surgery, Sakura's reserves were dangerously low to fight the hypothermia and exhaustion. The young warrior cradled his beloved tenderly, keeping his robes wrapped around her to share his body heat with her. Her pallid cheek rested against his shoulder, her faint breath was a light caress against the side of his neck. Syaoran rocked her in his arms like he would a small child.

"C'mon, Sakura, you can fight this too." he whispered fiercely, willing her to draw on his strength. "You're too stubborn to give up, remember?"

She remained still, quiet.

"Please, you can't quit now. I still need you." he pleaded in a half whisper, gazing down at her features.

As if answering his plea her ebony lashes began to flutter ever so slightly, a soft and tiny cry escaping her throat. Then, she moved weakly, instinctively trying to find more warmth to ease the cold. Syaoran willing and gratefully obliged her, wrapping her lethargic form in more of his ceremonial robes. Delicately he titled her head back a bit to see all of her lovely face. Her usually rosy lips had a slight bluish tinge to them now, her skin extremely pale. She looked so peaceful, but it was a hypothermic peace. A false peace. She had to wake up.

"You have to stay awake, Sakura. Open your eyes."

If he could just see her eyes then he would know she would be alright. The Life Card moved closer to the Card Capting duo in rapt fascination. In all its centuries of existence it had never seen such devotion shared between two individuals. Its eyes caught sight of the Death Card lying off to the side and it picked it up. Its opposite stared back at it from its magical prison. The still free card then looked at the duo before it in sudden understanding. The only way to have captured its powerful counterpart was if they either possessed tremendous magic which, separately, they obviously didn't have, or if they were soul mates. That had to be the answer. What Life had first thought to only be love turned out to run far deeper than the heart. Their bond was to the soul.

A bright flash of emerald light shone through a thin opening between thick ebony lashes. Her unfocused eyes twinkled brightly in the dim pre-dawn light filtering through the trees. She stared ahead of her, blankly. The chaotic pattern of her aura began to settle as her eyes began to focus on the Chinese teen holding her ever so close and tenderly. She could feel herself being warmed by his gentle sunrise gold eyes. Sakura blinked feebly, a small trembling smile touching her lips. Syaoran smiled back, happy tears burning his eyes, as yet unshed.

"... you're... alive..." she managed mellifluously.

He tucked a stray strand of her light copper hair away from her face as he chuckled softly, a languid tear tracing a trail down his cheek. "Thanks to your stubborn streak. You never gave up."

Sakura's blurry eyes noticed the tear on his cheek and reached up to wipe it away with trembling fingers. Syaoran responded by gripping that hand to help steady the trembling. He then placed a soft and gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist before pressing her lithe body tight to his chest, his face buried in the cool crook of her neck. She blinked in surprise, but neither had the strength or desire to fight him. She had long wanted to be held by him, to feel his strong arms cradling her against his heart.

"I was so afraid I'd lost you." Syaoran whispered against her skin.

Again Sakura blinked. 

__

He was afraid to lose _her_? 

Why? 

Was it because she was the only one out of them who could seal the Clow Cards?

Mentally, she shook her head in negative. Somehow this felt more poignant, more emotionally important, than just a practical worry about the cards. Perhaps it was because his aura was wrapping itself protectively around her, almost tenderly intertwining itself with her own. Pieces of this grand puzzle were starting to come together in her mind, but the picture wasn't yet clear enough to her muddled mind. He was hinting at something, she could feel it, but the cold had addled her brain too much for her to clue in on what it was. 

Syaoran then pulled back enough to be able to take in all of his beloved's facial features, the backs of his fingers tracing a tender trail down the side of her face. Tiger's Eye colored eyes seemed to memorize every little detail of her face with meticulous care while peridot colored eyes stared back with equal attention. Syaoran allowed himself a small grin, noticing her stare. The innocently clueless look she had right there and then made her appear so painfully adorable it was all he could do to keep himself from embracing her tight and never let her go. And to Sakura, the look the sorcerer sported was pure seduction, whether he knew it or not. Deep down, she was sure he knew.

The physical representation of Life floated towards them on a breeze and cautiously handed the sealed Death Card for either of them to take. This was the first time the Card Mistress got a clear view of the glowing magical being. She had to smile. This card was truly beautiful, as life should always be. She thought she saw aspects and features of her Mother, Nadeshiko, in the being, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. Her Mother was not a Clow Card. That would have just been to cruel of Fate to do such a thing to a woman who only ever had love for those around her. As Syaoran took the offered Death Card, Sakura raised her sealing wand to capture and seal the Life Card. But her beloved Chinese warrior gripped the wand to prevent it. The sorceress looked to the sorcerer with confusion shining in her tired eyes. Usually he would have been the one to insist on the card being captured. He had always said a card on the loose was dangerous.

So why didn't he want this particular card sealed?

"Let it have its freedom a little while longer." he answered her silent question softly. "We both owe it at least this for what it's done."

Despite the cold, the young Mistress of the Cards felt herself melt under the warmth of his eyes and smile. How could she ever resist him anything when he gave her a look like that? The wand lowered, then vanished into its key-like pendant form. The Life Card smiled in gratitude at the two magic users and drifted away until it hovered over the center of the chasm. It then floated upwards until it almost reached the tree canopy. It just dangled there for a moment, it's glow increasing in intensity all of a sudden. Then, giving no prior warning what so ever, the iridescent being exploded into a gentle shower of shimmering lights. Both teens were in awe at the marvelous sight. Each floating sphere of light floated on the breeze, exploding into a miniature shower they were born from each time they hit something solid. It was something out of a fantasy dreamscape. At an unspoken command the massive trees began to tremble, then shrink to the size of saplings while the gaping chasm abruptly filled and sealed itself up. Within very short instants the area appeared as if the magical grove and deep chasm had never existed. Sakura looked around in slight disappointment. The only things that were left, to testify that these had not been creations of the Life Card, were the frozen brook and the bare cherry trees alongside the crumbling stone wall. The place that had once belonged to her and Syaoran was now gone. Syaoran used his magical senses to sweep the area, trying to locate the missing Life Card, but to no avail.

It was gone.

But there was another magical being rushing towards them. The warrior groaned slightly as he identified the feel of this creature's presence.

"Sakura! Li!" a familiar voice called to them.

The sorceress recognized the voice and smiled. She should have known _he_ wouldn't be very far away. With a small blissful sigh she leaned back into the warrior's arms, snuggling closer to him to stay warm, and closed her tired eyes. Everything would be fine now. Her beloved partner wasn't a ghost anymore. Her smile softened in peace as she listened to the living heart beating strongly in his chest.

"Over here, fluff ball!" Syaoran called to the Guardian Beast of the Seal.

Yellow, rodent-like Kero flew down to them and hovered near the almost dozing Card Mistress, too worried about her pallor to have noticed the name Syaoran called him.

"Is she okay?" the Guardian with the golden eyes queried.

Syaoran nodded, warmly enfolding his soul mate in his arms and robes. "She'll be just fine after she warms up and gets a lot of rest. She pushed herself too hard too soon."

Keroberus sighed in relief, then looked up at the warrior as if noticing him for the first time. He circled around him in examination and smirked almost proudly.

"So, I guess you guys found the Life Card after all."

"Sakura found it actually. She's gotten extremely good at it."

"Let's see it then."

"See what?"

"The card, you baka gaki!"

"We don't have it."

"What do you mean, you don't have it?"

"It's gone, cotton ball. We let it go."

"You what!?"

"Relax, stuffed animal. The Life Card is an easy capture and isn't one to cause any harm to anyone. We'll catch it the next time we find it. Right now we have someone more important to worry about."

Kero blinked in confusion, then had a violent start in realization. "Oh, right! Sakura!"

"Go tell Tomoyo and Meilin to meet up at my place."

Not hesitating a single instant the Guardian Beast of the Seal took off like a shot. Syaoran watched him disappear around a bend, then turned his attention back to the lovely sorceress resting against his chest. Ever so carefully he took off his green robes and wrapped Sakura's still frozen body in them. She made a sound of protest when he had moved away from her, but quieted when he gathered her close again. The young warrior/sorcerer easily lifted her bundled form off the ground in his arms. She had always been so light and felt so fragile that Syaoran always felt he might break her if he wasn't careful. Sakura rested her cheek on his shoulder and breathed in his scent in contentment. She would forever associate the scents of spice, sandalwood and autumn leaves with her beloved secret love. Her sigh caused him to look down at her. The small grin on her lips made him chuckled softly.

"Let's go home, Ying Fa." he breathed ever so gently.

And, with his back to the great orange orb of the rising sun, the little wolf carried his cherry blossom away. Away, from the place that had contained so much magic and had helped kindle their spirits together, towards the buildings beyond the park's walls. He cradled her tenderly, resting his cheek on her head, listening to her soft breathing while he inhaled her intoxicating scent. Heather and cherry blossoms. Not even the regal rose could compare to such flowers who had given their perfume to the angel in his arms. A slight pain touched his heart as his mind reminded him that he had come so close to never breathing such a fragrance again. He had come so close to losing this precious life in his arms three times in only a few weeks without admitting his feelings for her. The first time during the Death Card's first attack. The second after their merging to defeat the Death Card during a second battle. And now almost losing her to hypothermia.

Never again.

This time she would rest and recover completely without worrying about a card. And then he would finally tell her how much he truly loved her. Syaoran gazed down at the lithe form sleeping in complete trust in his arms and smiled. Sakura was his destiny. There had been a reason he had wanted to come so to Japan so badly. He had first believed it was to capture the Clow Cards. But now he knew. The force pushing him here was to find the half that completed him. To find her. His lips lightly touched her brow in a loving embrace.

There was no reason to keep waiting. His destiny was now at hand.

****

To Be Continued in "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"...


	10. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 1

4 January, 2001

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"

****

By : The MOUSE……………………….

Soothing, healing incense filled the room with a pleasantly pungent odor, wrapping around the quintet gathered in the small bedroom. Early morning light filtered through the gauze like curtains, softening the rays of the sun, making the scene all the more ethereal. One could have imagined such a sight as having come straight out of a fairy tale. 

Magical Kero, Guardian Beast of the Seal of the Book of Clow, sat on the bed's pillow watching Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura sleep deeply. He keened quietly in worry for the lovely High School cheerleader. She had been in this deep slumber since he had found her and the restored warrior/sorcerer of the Clow Reed descendance, Li Syaoran, in King Penguin Park and since she had been brought to the male Card Captor's apartment. 

Kero's eyes left his Mistress and looked at the future leader of the Li Clan. This one's dark honey gold eyes were riveted on the sleeping sorceress as he stood at the foot of her bed. His green robes lay off to a side on a chair, forgotten, as he stood there as still as a statue, dressed all in white. The sorcerer's arms were crossed over his chest in a stance that stated he wouldn't be moved from his avid contemplation. 

Standing not far behind him was his Cousin and once fiancée, Li Meilin Rae, and Sakura's best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo. Kero could see a touch of jealous longing in Meilin's terra cotta eyes at the attention and devotion her beloved Cousin showed for the female Card Captor. For her part, Tomoyo was simply content to record the whole scene on her video camera with a thin smile, both pleased and worried. To her amethyst eyes this was romance at its best. The enamoured warrior watching over his princess's safety.

"You're sure she'll be alright, Meilin?" Syaoran suddenly queried, breaking the thick silence.

"Positive." she answered. "You got her here in time. Hypothermia was just beginning to set in."

"Then why isn't she waking up?" Kero demanded.

"Try going through what she has and see how much energy you have left, you animated ball of lint!" she snapped. "Being attacked by the Death Card, soul merging, emergency surgery, running from the hospital in twenty below temperature... She's just really tired."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"One hundred percent certain." she assured.

Syaoran didn't move from his vigil through the whole conversation the two had.

Tomoyo couldn't help but smirk at how much of a guard he resembled. "You'd think you were trying to keep her from bolting off, Li." she chuckled.

"She's done it before." he answered simply.

"True, but she has no reason to do that now. She has the Death Card," and she indicated the Clow Card sitting patiently on the nightstand, "… and you're back to your old living self. She's not going anywhere."

Syaoran turned to her this time, giving her a plaintive look that told her he was dreading the idea of leaving Sakura's side. Both Tomoyo and Meilin gave him a sympathetic grin. His Cousin then stepped forward and gently gripped his shoulder in a form of reassurance.

"Your apartment only has one door to go in or out of. And it can be locked. Besides, why would she want to go anywhere? She'll sleep for a few hours at the very least. Something you should try to do too. You may not feel tired now, but you will when you hit the pillow."

"She's right, Li." Tomoyo agreed in urging. "If you want to continue being her protector then you need to rest up too. Going through a change like you did… well… I can't even imagine what it's like."

He couldn't argue. He did feel a little tired, but it was more from worry about Sakura's wellbeing than from what the Life Card had done to him. Syaoran couldn't shake the nagging feeling that danger still lurked nearby. He couldn't understand it. It didn't feel like a Clow Card, yet it tugged at his senses, demanding not to be denied. And its target, whatever it was, was definitely the Mistress of the Cards. He could just barely feel the eddies of magic faintly probing Sakura's powerful aura. This is what had kicked him into full protector mode. No one would hurt Sakura so long as he was around. But the two girls had been right. He needed rest to better defend his soul mate.

He sighed in response to both Meilin and Tomoyo's gentle orders. "Two against one, that's really not fair." he smirked slightly.

The girls merely grinned in victory. Reluctantly he allowed them to drag him out of the room, leaving diminutive Kero to guard the teen cheerleader. Syaoran was half pushed, half dragged the few steps down the hallway to his own bedroom where he was gently shoved inside and the door was shut behind him, leaving him alone. He looked at his bed with a blank expression before sighing and flopping back on the thick covers. Minutes passed as Syaoran just stared at the ceiling with a small frown. Sleep eluded him despite the fatigue he felt. It was a sense of foreboding that kept him awake.

Something was going to happen.

And it was going to happen soon.

* * *

Darkness.

A black darker than pitch surrounded the lone Mistress of the Cards. She couldn't see a thing, but she did feel very powerful magic all around her, concentrated in one direction. She took a blind step in the dark, following her senses. The air was musty and damp with age, dirt and water. Her own footsteps and breathing were the only sounds to reach her ears. The silence was deafening. She was alone here. It caused a cold chill to run up her back. She walked in the darkness for what seemed like hours, surprised she hadn't tripped or run into anything. The darkness lifted slightly as torchlight came into view. Ancient, crumbling columns were everywhere, both fallen and still standing to support the ceiling. There were no windows in the roughly cut walls of hard clay and stone. Both the walls and the ceiling resembled more those belonging to a cave adapted for…

For what?

Kinomoto Sakura stopped walking and looked around her dimly lit surroundings. The walls and columns were covered in carvings and frescos. She recognized the styles of the carvings from her history books.

Ancient Greek.

Inca.

Ancient Chinese and Japanese.

And others she couldn't quite remember or recognize.

Where was she? Was this some sort of temple?

__

How's that possible? she questioned inwardly._ I was just in Tomeda District a second ago… wasn't I? Is this another vision? _

Syaoran…? 

Kero…? 

Tomoyo…? 

Meilin…? 

Anyone…?

The magical presence she had felt earlier began to tug at her senses yet again. Curious, she began walking again, moving deeper into this cave-like temple. Torchlight was the only source of illumination until she reached a large circular chamber with a high domed ceiling. A round hole was punched through the center of the dome, allowing bright daylight to shine down…

… on a raised stone altar where a body lay hidden under a white sheet.

She froze at the morbid sight. How long had this body been lying there, alone? For all she knew a skeleton could be under that immaculate sheet. She suddenly frowned in thought as she stared at the sheet. Ancient fabrics had a tendency to turn yellow and fall apart after a few years. With the mustiness in the air this sheet should have been mere strands of fabric by now, yet it looked brand new. She took a step past the room's threshold to investigate and began to hear soft whispers.

__

"… she is the one…"

"… power…"

"… Card Mistress…"

"… the Chosen One…"

The rest of the voices were in languages and dialects she didn't understand.

Even with fear gnawing at her nerves, Sakura went farther into the vast chamber and slowly turned in place to take in the sheer size of it all. Huge, massive stone pillars reached three stories high to support the dome. They were so wide Sakura was certain not even all her friends together, linked hand to hand, could encircle just one of these behemoths. They were pushed away from the walls to allow for a kind of alcove-like corridor to run the whole circumference of the chamber. The tiles of the floor were arranged in a pentagram within a circle. Symbols in various languages, including Greek, Chinese, and Japanese, were scattered all around the design. If she focused hard enough Sakura could make out heat eddies rising up from the patters and lines. This was a symbol of great power, a nexus. 

The covered body once again caught the magic wielding cheerleader's eye. As morbid as it was Sakura was also curious about it.

Who was this person?

How long had he or she been here?

Why was this person here in the first place?

With hesitant steps she walked up to the stone altar dominating the center of the chamber. She felt the room's power hum all around her as she crossed the pattern's lines. Her hand trembled in nervous fear as she reached for the sheet. Her fingers gripped the flax like material and she paused. 

Her eyes closed. 

A bracing breath was taken.

The sheet was torn off.

Silence.

No sound of clattering bones.

Sakura gulped in disgust. Then the body still had flesh on it. She took another bracing breath and slowly opened her eyes. She cried out in surprised shock, recoiling from the altar in total astonishment.

There, dressed in his ceremonial green battle robes, was the ashen and immobile body of Li Syaoran.

No breath was present to move his chest. His eyes were closed to the world. Sakura's mind went into a kind of panic. She refused to believe what she was seeing, refused to believe that he was lying there dead. That he _would_ die again. This had to be a vision, she knew that now. She had seen her beloved partner alive, he had held her in his arms, she had felt his heart beating not hours ago… hadn't she? Why was it Fate was conspiring against her to kill him yet again? 

With tears beginning to sting her eyes she approached the body of her beloved and gazed down fondly at his pallid features. He was so still, so peaceful. Quivering fingers reached for his cold cheek, touching his smooth skin.

Dead Syaoran's eyes snapped open without warning. Sakura gasped in surprise and growing fear at the sight. His beautiful, rich amber eyes were now as black as coal. Before she could recoil away his hand shot out from his side and grabbed her arm in a vice grip. She cried out in pain.

"Give me your power, little Cherry Blossom." his hollow voice demanded.

She blinked. This was definitely _not_ her Li Syaoran. From out of nowhere a hand wielding a knife appeared, the blade aimed straight for the Card Mistress's heart.

* * *

Li Syaoran's frown at the ceiling deepened as the feeling of dread intensified. What was he dreading? Did he fear having to tell Sakura how much he truly loved her? 

No, that wasn't it. 

He was nervous about telling her, but certainly not afraid. Why should he be? He had resolved himself to the fact that he would love her no matter what. The more he thought about the possible reason for this fear, the more he felt detached from it. It was distant, yet a part of him. It felt as if he was experiencing or channeling someone else's fear. 

Yes, that was it.

Someone else nearby was afraid of something and he was picking up on that primal emotion. He sat up on his bed abruptly, a deep frown of concern on his features. At that very moment he knew exactly where and who the source of this feeling was.

"_Syaoran!_" a voice screamed in pure terror.

The Chinese warrior/sorcerer leapt from his bed and ran flat out for the guestroom not far away. He barely took notice of Meilin or Tomoyo running up behind him as he burst through the door. Magical Kero was floating in front of his Mistress who was now sitting up in bed, voicing soothing words to her to try to calm the wild eyed girl. Terror generated tears traced salty trails down her flushed cheeks. Syaoran's heart tore at the sight of the liquid crystals falling from the evergreen that were her eyes. Seeing her cry was enough to cause him the most pain imaginable. Something had horrified her.

__

Her!

His angel.

No one was allowed to do that to her.

No one.

Her glittering eyes noticed him standing just within the door, watching her, and she flinched. The _little wolf_ blinked. Spring jewels met confused dark gold and all her fear seemed to melt away. Syaoran raised an eyebrow in silent self-questioning. There had been no mistaking her reaction to him just now. She had seen something that had terrified her of him? The sorcerer carefully sat at her side on the edge of the bed, facing her, and dotingly wiped away her tears with gentle fingers. She held his palms against her cheeks with her eyes closed, drawing on his strength. Syaoran just sat there and waited, giving Sakura the precious moments she needed to calm and compose herself again. Their friends moved closer to them, adding their support.

The warrior's thumb gently glided across the sorceress's cheekbone. "You… were afraid of me just now." he posed, letting the question hang unspoken.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, "I… I wasn't sure…" she breathed ever so softly.

"And that made you scared of Li?" Tomoyo questioned her best friend carefully.

Sakura blinked and looked at her, collecting her thoughts as she kept a hold of her beloved soul mate's hands now in her lap. "I… I wasn't scared it _was_ him… I was scared it _wasn't_ him."

Meilin was confused. "A nightmare?"

The Card Mistress shook her head in a negative. "A vision."

Kero landed on her knees in concern. "Are you sure it was a vision?" he asked, but he already knew the answer.

"I know how they feel like, Kero, and this definitely felt like a vision."

"Damn Clow Reed for letting you have these visions." Syaoran growled before he could stop himself.

The three girls and the Guardian Beast of the Seal all gave him a curious look for his outburst. He blinked, realizing his mistake of voicing his concern aloud, a blush creeping up the back of his neck. He quickly waved away their silent questions before any could be said aloud.

"What was it you saw?" he directed at the Card Mistress.

She frowned in thought. "It… it was dark… I was in a cave… but it wasn't a cave. There were pillars and columns everywhere… a sort of temple…"

"Temple?" Kero mumbled.

"There were lit torches here and there… made things look really creepy… There was… _something_ guiding me on, pulling me in one direction…" She felt Syaoran's hands tighten on hers slightly. "I came to this huge room with a hole in the ceiling to allow for light… There… there was an altar in the center of the room, surrounded by weird symbols…"

"Symbols? What symbols?" the warrior interrupted.

"Um… some were Japanese… some were Chinese… Gomen, I couldn't recognize the rest of them."

"What was on the altar?" Meilin probed.

Sakura shuddered. "A body."

Tomoyo blinked. "A body? As in a _dead_ body?"

"I thought he was dead. He looked like it at first."

"He? Who was it?" Syaoran thought to ask.

Emeralds met amber fearfully. "It… It was you… but not you."

He frowned in confusion. "Me, but not me?"

"What do you mean?" Tomoyo urged.

"His eyes… When he opened his eyes they were completely pitch black… He said he wanted my power… He… he tried to kill me and that when I woke up." She looked to both Kero and Syaoran expectantly. "What does it all mean?"

"Trouble." the toy-like magical creature muttered, crossing his tiny arms in thought. "This all sounds like dark magic. And it looks like you and the gaki are the targets again."

Something was vaguely familiar about the things Sakura had described, but the memory seemed buried too deep in Syaoran's mind to remember properly. He would have to review his Father's and Clow Reed's notes and scrolls to figure it out. For now he pushed the thought away from his subconscious to work on. This way he could concentrate on another task at hand: calming Sakura enough to get her to rest again. She needed all the rest she could get to help her both heal and recover from everything that had happened to her in such a short time. He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze, getting her to look at him.

"You have nothing to worry about, Sakura. I won't let whatever that is get you without a fight. He'll have to get to you over my dead body."

She covered his mouth in a panic to silence him. "Don't say that!"

"But he's right, Sakura." Tomoyo continued. "Whatever this thing is might have him to deal with first, but then it has the rest of us to deal with after."

"So you better rest up if you don't want us putting our lives on the line for you." Meilin concluded, seeing the terror in the Card Mistress's eyes at the prospects of losing her friends in the act of defending her. "And I know another pretty good reason for you to rest up."

"What's that?" Sakura questioned.

"You have to face your Father and Brother and try to explain to them why you ran away from the hospital like you did, not to mention explain what you're doing here." she grinned impishly.

The sorceress's eyes went wide. "I almost forgot about that! What am I going to tell them?"

Violet-eyed Tomoyo merely grinned in reassurance. "You'll think of something. After all, you're Card Captor Sakura!"

Sakura groaned in dismay at the starry expression that her best friend gave her. Sometime the camera-crazed teen had far too much confidence in the cheerleader's abilities and powers. Syaoran quickly got to his feet at this point and began to usher the two other teens and Kero out of the room. To get the Guardian Beast of the Seal moving the young warrior had to pick him up and toss him lightly towards the door, hard enough to give him momentum, but not hard enough to keep him from recovering and flying on his own. Kero glared at him in clear annoyance, but a deep glower from Clow Reed's descendant was enough to send the creature speeding away towards the living room.

"Out! Let her get back to sleep." he ordered the two teen girls who had remained behind.

Tomoyo pouted as she tried to resist being pushed out of the room. "Not fair! I risk missing some really kawaii shots! Why aren't you leaving too?"

"Someone has to watch over her well being." he countered calmly.

"I could do that!"

"Tomoyo, it's _my_ job to watch over her. Now out."

"It's still not fair!" she griped.

"Then take it up with Kami and the Fates, I'm just obeying my karma." and he gave her a final push out of the room, closing the door behind her to prevent her from coming back in.

He turned back to Sakura sitting on the bed, only to be confronted by her indescribable clear jade eyes. Syaoran felt frozen in place by her gaze, unable to move, barely able to breathe. Silently he wondered if she knew what kind of spell her eyes put him under each and every time she looked at him this way. A small, curious grin adorned her soft lips as she stared at her partner and soul mate. All coherent thought left the warrior/sorcerer. She was just so painfully beautiful just sitting there as she was. He suddenly blinked and was able to be able to speak, breaking enough of the spell she unknowingly cast.

"Nani?" he asked of her.

"Did you really mean it?"

"Mean… mean what?" he asked with some trepidation. He was silently worried she had heard something he didn't remember saying.

"About it being your job to watch over me."

He smiled, partly in relief. "Oh, that. Of course I meant it. Have you ever known me to say something I don't mean?"

She chuckled softly as he walked over to her and sat next to her pillow, leaning back comfortably against the headboard. "You _beat around the bush_ and never volunteer a lot of information, but whenever you say something it's always the truth."

"That's how I was raised." Syaoran smiled as he helped her settle more comfortably onto her pillow, tucking the covers in around her shoulders.

"I was wondering something…" she voiced after a moment.

"Wondering what?"

"Well… I know Touya has always been able to see or feel spirits when they're around, but…"

"But it's like I didn't exist around him when I was a spirit?" he completed for her.

"Yeah. Why was that?"

"It's a little something I found out I could do when Kero and I were experimenting what my limits were that first night. I could specify who could and couldn't see or fell me."

"Oh."

"I figured it would be safer if Touya couldn't see or feel me. By Kami, he's seriously out to kill me, you know."

Sakura laughed softly. "I know. He's holding a grudge for that first impression you made five years ago when you attacked me for the Clow Cards."

"I'm really sorry I did that back then."

She smiled gently. "You were just doing what you were told to come to do. I can't blame you for that."

"Even when your Brother does."

"He doesn't know your reasons."

He sighed. "He just may never drop that grudge, but Tomoyo told him something that should make him think twice before attacking." he smirked in self-satisfaction.

She blinked and looked up at him. "What did she say?"

Syaoran smirked down at her with a shake of his head. "It's best if you ask her… _after_ you've rested."

She pouted, knowing full well she would never get him to tell her. He could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to. Then, after a short moment of silence, "Syaoran?"

"Hai?"

"I'm sorry for being such a burden to you."

He blinked, clearly not having expecting this statement from her, then carefully brushed stray strands of her hair away from her face. "What makes you think you're a burden to me?"

Thrilled goose bumps raced across her flesh from his gentle touch and equally gentle tone of voice. "The fact that you're always putting your life on the line to protect me because I can't do it for myself and the fact that you always take care of me when I get hurt. I lost count of how many times you saved my life."

He smiled. "Again, what makes you think you're a burden to me?"

Sakura met his gaze and felt herself melt from the shivery warm smile he was giving her. She sighed in defeat. "It's just…" and she gestured helplessly.

"You don't always want to rely on others?" She nodded and he chuckled. "It almost like you want to learn to run before you even know how to stand." He paused in thought, tenderly stroking her silky hair. Then, "No reason to put it off anymore. The moment you're well again I'll teach you how to properly defend yourself."

"Honto?" she smiled hopefully.

He chuckled again, this time at her beautiful child-like innocence glowing in her eyes. "Honto. Now, you need to rest." and he carefully placed his index finger on the center of her forehead.

Sakura felt the familiar drowsy humor invade her senses and she smiled. "Domo… arigatou… Syaoran…" she managed to mumble before falling into the magical slumber.

Syaoran carefully took one of her hands and gently kissed the back of it. "You're welcome, My Love." he whispered ever so softly.

****

To Be Continued…


	11. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 2

9 January, 2001

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"

****

By : The MOUSE……………………….

Countless ancient leather bound texts and equally numerous aged scrolls lay scattered about the matted floor of the small training room. Warrior/sorcerer Li Syaoran growled in growing frustration as he tossed aside yet another volume, its contents having been deemed useless to his search. Grumbling he picked up a large scroll and began reading the ancient Cantonese brushed there in black ink, each stroke perfect. He was searching for some tiny reference, anything at all familiar with what Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura had described about her vision almost two weeks ago. He had forgone sleep, ate and drank the bare necessities to sustain himself in this arduous task, sequestering himself from everyone in his training room ever since Sakura's Father had come to take her home. For Sakura to have had a vision like she had it meant the events were somehow related to Clow and the cards. It could be some very obscure relation, but a connection none the less. And if that connection existed then it had to be contained within one of these old books and rolled up pieces of parchment. This was a copy of the Li Clan's magic library. Every spell, every line of history connected to Clow or Li was amassed before him.

But out of the hundreds he had read so far not one had yet yielded the answer he was seeking.

He still had hundreds left to go.

He frowned. _Mental note: Get every text and scroll scanned into a computer to create a search index._

On and on Syaoran read late into the night. He was determined to be ready this time. There was danger ahead and he wanted to know everything he could about it to better protect his beloved Card Mistress. They had been caught off guard the first time. The cards had been cunning. He would have to be even more cunning in the upcoming battle. He wouldn't let anything happen to Kinomoto Sakura this time. He loved her too much to see her get hurt again.

* * *

A low laughter filled the cavernous chamber, seeming to fill the silence. A shadow, a wisp of a form, peeled itself away from a wall and approached the object of his search. The wraith hovered for a moment in contemplation and admiration of its newly found treasure. A body devoid of life. The musculature had an understated strength, well chiseled yet not imposing. A natural strength and power seemed to radiate still from this inanimate being. The wraith smiled, pleased at this prize. It turned to the glowing being kneeling nearby, the one who had delivered this gift.

"You've done very well, my dear." the wraith chuckled. "But then, you had no choice but to obey me. The Life Card was always an easy capture, despite all the power Clow gave you."

Beautiful, radiant Life lowered it head, its long pale gold hair hiding the shame and sorrow on its face and in its eyes. It had let its guard down when it had tried to create another grove to hide itself in. It would have much rather have been captured by another magic user. The girl it had met a few weeks ago with the young warrior. She had been kind. But Life had been captured by this… this _thing_. It had come out of nowhere, resembling the Shadow Card. That had been the deception. Life had truly believed this was Shadow. It had been wrong. Even Shadow possessed some warmth. This wraith didn't. It had no form, no soul, just darkness. And it needed a body. So Life had been sent to find it a body, a very specific body lost in the eddies of time and space. There had only really been one who fit this wraith's criteria. Life felt pain at having been forced to play a part in this.

"I see a certain irony in this, you know." the wraith continued. "A Clow Card helping me get my revenge against Clow and his descendents." It laughed. "It has a certain sense of poetic justice to it. But Clow has to pay for abandoning me here, for burying me in this place and making it my tomb. And what greater pain than to permanently destroy his line and his work. I would have made him the greatest, most powerful, most feared sorcerer of all time, but he rejected it all after he got what he wanted from me. Now, do it!" it ordered.

Life cringed, but obeyed. Its long hair and robes wrapped around the lifeless body lying before it and also enfolded the shapeless shadow. After a moment the cocoons fell away. The shadow was gone and the body was now breathing. The revived body sat up slowly, experimenting with half remembered sensations. Then it laughed.

"Oh, well done indeed! The poor little child will never know how close darkness really is to her while I'm in this form." 

Life tried to cower away, but the re-born wraith grabbed the front of its robes to hold the card in place. He near cackled with glee, the body's once beautiful amber eyes growing dark with each passing moment. Tears of shame fell from Life's eyes as the familiar looking being trembled in barely contained laughter. 

"After all, why should she suspect it from her beloved _little wolf_?"

* * *

Daidouji Tomoyo heard the classroom door open and, out of habit and an insatiable curiosity, she looked up from her study-notes to see who it was. As bubbly as ever, as if nothing had happened to her two weeks ago, Kinomoto Sakura walked into the study hall. The two best friends smiled at each other as the sorceress took her seat adjacent to Tomoyo. Classmates waved to Sakura in welcome.

"So, how're you feeling?" the videographer asked the Card Captor quietly.

"I feel great." she smiled broadly. "I talked to the coach and she said I could rejoin the cheerleading squad without problem. After everything, I'm ready to start the daily routine all over again."

Tomoyo laughed. "I should've known nothing could keep my girl down." Then, "Hey, Sakura, have you seen Li around lately?"

"Not for the last two weeks, no. Why?"

"Well, I haven't seen him either. Meilin says he hardly ever left the training room in his apartment since your Dad picked you up. He's surrounded by books and scrolls and stuff."

"Sounds like he's probably doing some really intensive research. Let's just hope he had time to study for his exams too." 

She suddenly stiffened, her eyes taking on a distant look as a tingling sensation invaded the edge of her senses, growing in intensity. Tomoyo was worried at her friend's reaction. This sort of thing usually preceded a danger of some sort, the arrival of dark or powerful magic.

"A Clow Card?" she asked in a whisper.

Sakura broke into a smile, recognizing the presence arriving at the High School. It was warm, not at all like the Clow Cards. This feeling was something, _someone_, closer to her heart. "No, nothing dangerous." she answered her friend. "Well, depends who you are. Syaoran will be coming in soon, that's all."

"Oh." The videographer smirked at the cheerleader. "You know, I envy Li's and your ability to be able to sense when he's near or when you're near. Makes me a little jealous, but at the same time I find it so kawaii."

"I guess it has something to do with the fact that we both have Clow magic."

"Or the fact that you're soul mates." she grinned.

Sakura felt a hot blush begin to creep up the back of her neck and she smiled sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, Tomoyo, I'm still not quite sure how to take all of that."

"I say feel blessed about it, Sakura. I mean, how many girls out there can rightly say they're soul mates with a totally gorgeous guy, ne?" she teased lightly.

The teen Mistress of the Cards blushed deeply with a shy giggle. She was so right. True, there were a lot of handsome boys at their school, but none of them really stood out like the young warrior. He was one who didn't care what others thought of him, who could be satisfied with just sitting in a quiet corner to meditate in silence. Strength and a relative peace radiated all around him. Sakura allowed herself a tiny smile at the thought of her beloved warrior. A soul mate was indeed a rare person to find and she had been fortunate enough to have had found hers in the only man who could make her blood boil from a single gaze. The more she thought of Syaoran the more she questioned the link they had always seemed to share. Being soul mates explained their ability to sense each other's presence. And they had merged into one being, a sensation she wasn't about ready to ever forget. It was sheer, unadulterated bliss. Silently she wondered what other abilities they possessed together and if this was now the door she needed to bare her heart to her partner.

"So are you going to admit to him that you love him?" the violet-eyed teen grinned as if reading her thoughts.

Sakura blinked in shock. "Shhhh! Tomoyo!" and she looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard.

"Nani? I know you love him, you can't hide that from me. How could you not? He's sweet--"

"Tomoyo, hush!" she whispered urgently.

"He's gentle and intelligent--"

"Please, not so loud, someone might hear you!" she hissed.

"And you know he's so totally hot, hunky and sexy in _the_ outfit." and she winked conspiringly.

Sakura's blush deepened even more. "Tomoyo, stop!"

"You ladies talking about me?" came a smug male voice off to their side.

Both teens jerked their heads up in surprise only to find Higato Allan grinning smugly like some proud peacock ready to strut for a mate. Sakura felt a deep frown knit her brows at the tall, blond captain of the basketball team. Just her luck to have to share a study hall with the self absorbed cretin. Tomoyo, too, was frowning at the interloper.

"What makes you think you were the topic, baka?" she snapped.

Allan didn't seem to notice her tone of voice or the frowns of the two girls. "Let's see, you said sweet, gentle, intelligent, hot, hunky and sexy." he listed off. "You were describing me perfectly."

The Card Mistress groaned in annoyance, but Tomoyo was nearing livid with anger. "How _dare_ you listen to a private conversation between Sakura and I! And for your information we were talking about Li!"

The basketball star scoffed. "That gaki doesn't even come close to comparing to me."

"You're absolutely right." Sakura stated rather calmly as Tomoyo gave her a shocked look. She then fixed the arrogant male with a glare. "He's at least a million times better than you."

He seemed to ignore the last bit of the comment, seeing the first half as an opening to lay on the charm. "You got my messages, beautiful?"

She continued to frown at him, Tomoyo marveling on how tightly she kept her cool. "What messages?"

His smile faltered slightly, but didn't let it show or slow him down. "The notes I taped to your locker for the last eight weeks of school."

"Ah, so that was you."

The proud smile returned full force. "You read them all, right?" and he shot a confident smirk to his friends standing across the classroom from them.

"Actually, no, I just threw them out as I found them."

Allan's head snapped around to face her, his expression one of shocked disappointment, noting how Tomoyo was trying her best to stifled her laughter. "You… you what?"

"I threw them out. They weren't worth my time."

Tomoyo laughed outright, desperately wishing she had her camera with her to record such a precious moment such as Allan's expression of pure surprised shock. Then his expression changed from sickeningly sweet to terrifying in the blink of an eye. Allan was furious at having his advances rejected by Sakura yet again. In his mind, no girl could ever resist his charms. In a fit of rage he grabbed her wrist harshly and forced her to her feet. She tried to pull herself free from his grasp, but his grip remained firm. His hand squeezed harder, almost to the point of crushing her wrist, causing a small cry to escape her lips as she winced. Everyone in the classroom went silent and watched the happenings, too afraid of Allan and his temper to be able to help the young sorceress.

"Now you listen to me very carefully, _Kinomoto_." he ground viciously. "My reputation is on the line here. No girl, not one, is allowed to say no to me. You will be _my_ girl or I can make the rest of the school year _very_ uncomfortable for you. Got it?"

"Your so-called reputation went down the hole a long time ago, _Higato_." she retorted. "I'm not some object you can just lay claim to because you feel like it. Now let go of me right now."

"Or else what?" he sneered.

"Or else you'll be reacquainted with the wall!" she snapped, a pleasantly familiar tingle growing in intensity against her senses.

He laughed. "A puny thing like you can't throw me."

"Maybe she can't, but I can." a new voice challenged from behind Sakura.

Allan looked up in surprise only to be confronted by the carefully checked fury contained in Li Syaoran's wolf-like eyes. His perpetual scowl made him look even more frightening and dangerous. Behind the Chinese teen's right shoulder stood Li Meilin Rae, fire burning in her deep crimson eyes. Sakura felt Allan's grip tremble at being confronted by the two newcomers. The basketball player's eyes flickered to the cheerleader he still restrained, noting how she didn't seem at all surprised that Syaoran was standing behind her suddenly. He released her wrist, deeming it wise since he was now out numbered. No one would back him up against these two teens. The Card Mistress instinctively sought refuge behind her soul mate, gingerly rubbing her wrist as she watched both males stare each other down. The tension in the air was very tangible, but it was clear Allan was losing this match.

"So, the gaki is back from Hong Kong." began the basketball player. "What caused you to run back home to _Mommy_?"

"My duty to protect the honor of my Clan, Higato. Duty and honor. Two things you obviously have no notion of."

Allan blinked. "Oh-- Oh yeah?" he came back lamely.

The tiniest of smiles quirked up the corner of Syaoran's lips. "I'm only going to give you one warning, Higato. Leave Sakura alone." he ground low in a clear menace.

"Or else what?" the teen challenged.

Syaoran took a step forward to add emphasis to his next threat. "Or else you'll be walking funny for the rest of your life."

Higato Allan's face paled slightly at the warning and backed away slowly, awkwardly, his reputation destroyed. "This is far from over, gaki."

"This was over before it even began." and he satisfied himself by glowering at him, cautioning him off from any further action.

The class continued to stare at the quartet at the back corner of the classroom, expecting something more from them. The young warrior/sorcerer glared at them all, a silent signal to them to go back to what they were doing before the whole mess started. When the last pair of eyes finally turned away Syaoran could now focus his attention on his beloved Mistress of the Cards. His wrist had begun to hurt, as if it was being crushed, only moments before he entered the classroom. Somehow he knew this pain was from Sakura. Were they somehow linked now because of their experience as a merged soul? To the warrior, this thought was appealing. To be linked with the one woman he loved more than life. There was a romanticism there that didn't escape him. But how was it possible they were linked? He blinked, pushing the question to the back of his mind, and returned his attention to his soul mate. Tomoyo stood by her side, patting her shoulder in a gentle act of comfort, while Meilin checked the sorceress's wrist for injury.

The terra cotta eyed girl sighed in some relief. "You'll bruise before the end of the day, but luckily nothing's broken."

Sakura smiled in thanks, then had a morose chuckle. "So much for getting out of writing exams."

"Always looking for the silver lining of things." the teen sorcerer accused gently, a smile present in his voice despite its absence on his face.

She grinned at her partner, then blinked at something she noticed about him. "When was the last time you slept?" she asked in concern.

He winced. "What gave it away?"

"The bloodshot eyes." 

The warrior rubbed his sore and tired eyes. "Maybe I should've used eye drops this morning before leaving."

She touched his arm gently to get his attention. "Is that research of yours _that_ important?" she questioned softly.

Honey amber met bright jade and he nodded. _You can't imagine just how important, My Love_, he thought silently.

She blinked, looking somehow surprised at something, and arched a questioning eyebrow. "Did… you…?"

"Nani?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. What was your research about?" she dismissed.

He quirked an eyebrow, but didn't press the subject. "Something about what you told us yesterday, about that temple in your vision. It seemed familiar. I thought I saw something similar during my training, a description in one of my Clan's history scrolls."

"Did you find it?"

"Early this morning." he nodded. "I managed to get it all translated before coming here. All of it, including the original scroll, are in my pack."

"Let's see it then." and a smiling Tomoyo nearly dove for his backpack slung over the back of his chair.

But Syaoran stooped her with a patient expression. "After the exams are over for the day, Tomoyo, when we can concentrate on it without having to keep all our notes straight in our heads."

"Hai." she smiled sheepishly. "Gomen, I'm just anxious to capture another adventure on tape."

He gave her a small frown. "You and that camera."

Sakura knuckled his ribs gently in chiding, causing him to squirm. "Be nice, Syaoran. After all, we all have our obsessions, ne?"

He blushed a deep shade of red from this comment and the bright, innocent smile she flashed him.

* * *

From across the classroom, Higato Allan watched the small, tight knit group with a frown. He was completely oblivious to the teases and jokes from his so-called friends from the basketball team. His near gray eyes were solely on the cheerleader who had dared shun his advances. 

__

How could she? he growled inwardly. _Every girl in the school is dying for just one of the chances I'm giving her. She'd be the most popular and envied girl here. How can she refuse the offer?_

Sakura seemed to smile her brightest when she was around the gaki, Li Syaoran. The Chinese student was always so much kinder and open with her. He protected her openly from anyone, including his Cousin when she had seemed to want Sakura dead, and only the lovely cheerleader could make Li blush that particular shade of bright red when she smiled or talked to him. She also didn't seem to mind one bit how close he stood at her side, their hands occasionally brushing by accident. As Allan watched them Sakura suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled her necklace free of her shirt. She presently wore two necklaces. One was a strange key-like pendant. The other was a black sphere, which she held out to Li.

"Thought you might want your defenses back, Syaoran." he heard her tell Li.

__

Defenses? And she calls him by his real name!

In a purely graceful move Sakura slipped this strange necklace over Li's head to have it hang around his throat. Both Meilin and Tomoyo smiled dreamily at the touching scene between their friends. Allan frowned. Sakura covered the pendant by laying her hand flat over it and smiled up at Li. Her voice was too much of a whisper for Allan to hear over the noise in the study hall, but he could read her lips.

"I kept it warm for you." he saw her lips form.

Li Syaoran held her hand where it lay and smiled softly in thanks. Allan blinked in shock. Li? Smiling? In the few school years he had known the teen he had never seen him smile for any reason. Tomoyo squealed in delight, happily hugging Meilin out of some joy. The lithe teen tolerated the move with a small, pleased grin to her Cousin. Both Li and Sakura blushed deeply, each quickly taking a step back in embarrassment. Allan's world turned red at this.

__

That gaki has no right to be so charming to my_ girl! She's going to be _my_ girlfriend, no one else's! Especially not his!_

This meant war.

* * *

Li Meilin Rae collapsed on the couch at her Cousin's apartment, a tired groan escaping her lips. "Remind me again why it is I'm taking Chemistry this year?"

Daidouji Tomoyo grinned at her from the other end of the couch, panning her camera around to capture the exhausted teen. "Magical shortcomings." she answered simply, a playful glint in her violet eyes.

Meilin winced. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me." 

She shrugged. "You asked."

She growled low and lobbed a pillow at Tomoyo's head.

"I just find it ridiculous that they make us show up at the beginning of the day when our exams are at the end of it." Kinomoto Sakura griped softly as she massaged her temples to stave off the impending headache.

"And you know they're doing it again tomorrow." sighed her best friend since the beginning of elementary school, not relenting with her video taping.

The newest friend to the group groaned again. "Gah! Adult conspiracy!" and ducked just as Tomoyo tried to hit her with a pillow.

"We're not exactly kids anymore ourselves, Meilin." Li Syaoran pointed out practically, sipping from his tea, hiding his grin behind the rim of his cup. "When did the stuffed animal say he'd get here?"

"Syaoran, it's been five years. Can't you at least call him Kero?" the Card Mistress sighed as she leaned back in the low loveseat.

"The day I use his name is the day he stops calling me gaki."

"Fine." she sighed again. "He shouldn't be much longer anyway. It'll give us all a chance to decompress before we get down to business."

He nodded. "I have to admit, that was one tough Math exam."

Her shoulders dropped with a look of horror crossing her features. "I knew it! If _you_, Mister Math Genius, thought it was hard then it's official. I failed!"

"You didn't fail." Tomoyo tried to soothe.

"I did. I know I did." she protested.

"You did not." Syaoran assured as he heard a soft tapping at the balcony window. "Finally." he muttered under his breath, opening the sliding door enough to let the Guardian Beast of the Seal fly in. "Anyone order a frozen cotton ball?" he quipped.

Kero shivered from cold, shaking off some snow that clung to his yellow fur, choosing not to notice the warrior's jest. "Brr, you'd think the Snow Card was on the loose again. It is really coming down out there."

"You can warm up with your Mistress while you try to comfort her."

The flying creature blinked. "Comfort? What happened?"

Meilin chuckled. "She's convinced she failed her Math exam."

"Oh, is that all." Kero flew over to the young sorceress and snuggled up against her throat, causing her to squirm from how cold he was. "Mmmmm… warm…" he sighed softly. Then, "You know, you really shouldn't worry so much about that test. You studied so hard these last two weeks that I wouldn't be at all surprised if you aced it."

The cheerleader cuddled her diminutive guardian with a smile. "Arigatou, Kero."

"No problem." Then he turned to face Syaoran who had regained his place, kneeling next to the low coffee table. "Now, what's so important that you had to get me here through a blizzard, gaki?"

"This." The young warrior placed an aged scroll on the coffee table and unrolled it. Tomoyo stood to get a full view of the scroll's contents.

The Card Mistress fell off the squat loveseat to her knees in shock at what was revealed on the scroll. It was a diagram of a temple, but not just any temple. "That's… that's the same as in my dream!" she exclaimed

He looked at her with a grim expression. "By Kami, I was hoping this wasn't the case, that maybe I was wrong about this."

She blinked at him in confusion. "Why?"

Kero, who was carefully scrutinizing the images and writing on the scroll, suddenly gasped in surprise. "Mummaro's Gate!" he exclaimed and dove behind Sakura in unmistakable fear.

"Who's gate?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Mummaro. A second dynasty dark sorcerer in China." Syaoran explained, seeing as Kero was too terrified to. "Legend has it he was kicked out of the Inner Circle, a very elite and powerful band of sorcerers, for his practices of the dark arts. Angered and disgraced he wanted revenge so he built this thing to be both the temple of his new order and a kind of giant magic battery for dark energies. Dark powers are drawn here after the user's death and are stored in supposedly a series of crystal rings, creating a kind of gateway, a nexus of such raw power. My Clan history has it that Clow Reed found the Gate during his travels prior to creating the cards. He studied it for several years, trying to learn it's secrets, then discovered what it really was. He nearly drained all his magic burying it deep underground so no one else could find it and tap the energies stored there."

"It is _that_ dangerous?"

"Tomoyo, think of it this way." Meilin answered. "This thing has been around for a few thousand years just sucking up and collecting dark magic. It's not really a question of someone finding it and using the powers. It's more like someone finding it and releasing whatever's in there."

"What do you mean?"

"Strange things tend to happen to large amounts of untamed magic after so long." replied the golden eyed warrior.

Sakura shuddered in sudden insight. "Like it comes to life."

"Something like that."

Kero landed on his Mistress's shoulder with a tiny frown at a memory. "Hey, I don't remember seeing any notes on Mummaro's Gate in Master Clow's study."

"Clow Reed probably hid them all magically to keep them out of the wrong hands." Syaoran supplied. "His notes were as good as any map."

"But why now?" the Card Mistress suddenly questioned the group. "Why did the Gate and whatever's in it decide to come out of the shadows now after all these years? It couldn't have grown so powerful since Clow Reed buried it, could it?"

The male Card Captor shrugged sheepishly at a loss. "There's probably an answer in Master Clow's notes. But, to get those, I need to find which spell he used to hide them with." He sighed, getting to his feet. "And knowing the amount of spells he knew this could take a while. All we have is speculation."

Tomoyo grinned as she watched him sit in the seat Sakura had vacated, making sure to keep her camera focused on the two from that moment on. "Answers often hide amid speculations." She chuckled softly. "This is becoming so epic!" she whispered excitedly.

"Worth a try." Kero agreed and flitted off to stand on the center of the scroll. "What would whatever this thing is want?"

Meilin sat forward, elbows on her knees. "What's the saying? Power begets power. The more power it has the more it would be unstoppable."

"But without something to focus its power it could never exist outside the Gate." Kero added. "As it is the only reason any of it exists now is because the Gate is acting like some huge focal lens for it."

"So it can't get to us?" Sakura questioned hopefully.

"Well, not physically, no, but it can still get to us in different ways." her guardian replied.

"What ways?"

"The power of dreams, the power of suggestion… Little things we take for granted that we wouldn't notice right away."

The young sorceress groaned tiredly. "And here I was hoping things would stay quiet for a while with just the cards to capture."

"No rest for the weary." Syaoran told her gently as he took her shoulders and began to knead them soothingly.

The urge had just been too strong to even try to deny. He knew she needed to relax. Stress was a killer to a Card Captor and she had already come close enough to dying from it. And he would be damned if he let it happen again when he could stop it. He could feel the tense and tight knots under his fingers, bunching her neck and shoulders painfully. He had already felt the mirrored pain in his own shoulders. At least, he thought it was from her. For all he knew his muscles were painfully tense as well. With each gentle squeeze he focused a part of his energies through his fingers to her. A blissful and soft sigh escaped her lips, all her tensions being worked away by the world's most incredible pair of hands. She could hear Tomoyo, Meilin and Kero continue to discuss things about this temple and its creator, but she didn't pay attention to the words. She was melting under his tender ministrations, her eyes closing of their own accord to better concentrate on the feel of his talented hands and of his warm aura mixing with her own. A tiny smile adorned her lips as she realized the subtle change in how he acted towards her. There was a new certainty to his actions, a confidence in his words. It was a tenderness that both thrilled and confused her. It thrilled in the way that it told her he really cared for her. It confused because she was sure he loved someone else, he had said as much. She pushed away the confusion and leaned back against her beloved soul mate's washboard stomach. Sakura titled her head back to look up at him. Syaoran merely smiled down at her, a warm, shivery smile.

__

Will I ever know your heart someday, My Love, the warrior whispered in his own mind.

Sakura blinked, surprise and wonder appearing on her face. He arched an eyebrow at her sudden change in expression. It was as if she heard something, but before he could question her about it there came an insistent knock at the apartment door. All five of them stared in the direction of the sound, all silently confused.

Tomoyo was the first to break the thick silence. "Were you expecting someone, Li?"

"Um… no. Meilin, were you?"

"I wasn't expecting anyone." she admitted. Whoever was behind the door knocked again. "I'll get it." the Chinese teen volunteered, leaping up from her spot on the couch.

Syaoran shrugged off the impromptu visitor and continued the wholly pleasant endeavor of relaxing his adored sorceress through a massage. Under his gifted hands Sakura felt herself melt yet again, quickly forgetting all worries past, present and future. She vaguely heard Tomoyo laugh at them from across the coffee table.

"You keep that up, Li, and she'll end up falling asleep."

Syaoran chuckled softly. "And the problem with that is… what?"

"Touya, if his baby Sister doesn't come home tonight."

"I don't care what Touya thinks." Sakura mumbled as she turned slightly to lean her cheek on her partner's thigh. "I'm eighteen, there isn't much left in my life he can have a say in. My Father trusts me, why can't he?"

"It's not a matter of trusting you, Sakura." the young warrior began as he tenderly caressed her head. "It's more a matter of trusting who you're with."

__

I trust you with everything I am, Syaoran, Sakura thought with heartfelt conviction.

The sorcerer blinked. "Did…?"

The sorceress looked up at him. "Nani?"

He shook his head and waved off the question he had started to ask. "Never mind."

She pulled away to kneel up and face him, concern in her bright green eyes. "You were going to ask something."

"Ask what?" he near grinned.

Sakura pouted adorably, lightly punching his shoulder. "That's right, get me all relaxed just to frustrate me like this. Tell me."

"My, my, curious, aren't we?" he grinned playfully.

She couldn't help but smile. "Very curious. Tell me!"

"Nope."

"Tell me!" she insisted, gently poking at his ribs.

He squirmed, trying to hold in the spasms of hilarity. "Nope."

With a smirk Sakura continued to tickle him relentlessly until he couldn't hold in the throes of laughter anymore. Syaoran writhed and laughed uncontrollably from her devilish assault. To the young warrior it actually felt good to laugh this hard for no more reason than that the woman he loved dearly was tickling him. Laughing until it hurt was such a needed release of built up worries and tensions.

But her playful attack didn't leave him completely helpless.

In a lightning fast move Syaoran grabbed her wrists, being careful of her bruised wrist, and spun her around. She shrieked in surprise and mock struggled against him. He crossed her arms, pinning them against her chest, her back pressed tight to his own chest. She shrieked again and laughed when he growled low into the crook of her neck making her squirm. Video taping the entire scene Tomoyo had to laugh. Kero just looked on with barely contained annoyance.

"So this is the reason you do not want to return to Hong Kong." a woman's voice concluded in Cantonese, carrying over the laughter.

Kero fell over limp as the three startled teens leapt to their feet. There, before them next to Meilin, stood a tall and elegant woman with long ebony hair tied up in an elegant bun. Her intense golden eyes took in the scene before her with a slight grin, noting how Syaoran stood before the auburn haired teen protectively. The young sorcerer could only stare at this woman in barely concealed shock. He was completely stunned by her sudden appearance at the living room entrance. Only one word made it out of his quickly drying mouth.

"Mother…?"

* * *

Li-san had to grin at the look of pure surprise written on her youngest child's face. She hadn't told him she was coming to see him. She had wanted this visit to be a surprise. And by the expression her Son sported she had succeeded beautifully. She gazed at him fondly, noting how he had grown in height and build in the last five years. He had come to greatly resemble his Father. Same understated build, same determination and fire in his eyes, same manner of standing as if on guard. The proud streak of the Li Clan's men.

Her eyes then drifted to the two teen girls standing with him. One had long, charcoal black hair and tranquil violet eyes. She stood at some distance from Syaoran, but still close enough to be in his range of protection. A small frown twitched at the matriarch's brow. This girl knew her Son could fight. In her hand was a small digital camera. Li-san blinked. 

Her Son was allowing himself to be video taped?

Her eyes then looked to the other teen girl. This one had short, auburn hair, the lithe physique of a gymnast, and the most stunning of green eyes. Both girls were lovely, but this particular teen was by far the most captivating. She stood right behind Syaoran's left shoulder, her hand unconsciously clutching at his school blazer. Li-san's frown deepened. She could feel a very powerful and magical aura surrounding this girl. Was she a sorceress? Focusing her thoughts a little more Li-san could feel her Son's aura mixing with the aura of this girl. There was no way these two could not have felt this happening and yet they allowed it. Why? And why was he subconsciously jumping to her defense?

Li-san's deep golden eyes then noticed the scroll laid out on the coffee table, her eyes going wide in disbelief. Her Son had unrolled the history scroll about Mummaro's Gate. This was a secret. No one save their clan was supposed to know about the Gate. It was too dangerous to let outsiders know about it. What was he doing showing it to these two?

"Xiao Lang, the scroll! This is private Clan matters!" she snapped in Cantonese. Then she noticed inanimate Kero lying on the scroll. "And what are you doing letting one of them leave a toy on it?" and she tried to rush forward to snatch up the little being.

Syaoran blocked her way before she got too close. "No, Ma-Ma, wait!_Move_, you stuffed animal, or you're liable to be ripped apart!" he quickly shot to the Guardian Beast of the Seal.

Kero sprang to life and flew up to the ceiling light fixture, out of reach and harm's way. "Wow! Now I know where you get your temper, gaki."

Li-san stared in shock. "What…?"

"Ma-Ma, please, calm down. Let me explain all of this." Syaoran tried to placate, laying a gentle hand on her arm. "Please, sit down."

Her eyes fixed on the diminutive creature hiding on the ceiling lamp, Li-san let herself drop back into the couch. Over the years she had gotten the occasional letter and phone call from her Son and her Niece, but both had omitted to mention the existence of this creature. Magic radiated all around it in powerful waves, all under strict control. It looked down at her with a wary frown of mistrust.

"If she's the one who spawned the gaki then I don't trust her one bit." the yellow being growled.

"Kero, be nice!" the auburn haired girl chided. "We're guest here, show a little respect!"

"Why should I show _them_ any respect?"

"Because, if you don't, no more Zylon Warriors."

Kero cried out in an emotion akin to terror. "Blackmail! No! No, you can't!" he pleaded.

"I mean it, Kero."

"Please!" and he landed on her shoulder, begging. "I'll do anything! Just don't take away my Zylon Warriors!"

"Promise to be nice?"

"Hai, hai, I promise!"

She smiled and, to Li-san, the room seemed to suddenly brighten. "Alright then."

"Yeah!" and he hugged her neck tight as best he could with his short paws.

The Li Clan's matriarch could only look on in stunned curiosity. "Kero…?" she questioned, unsure.

"Um… Hai, Ma-Ma. This is Kero, short for Keroberus." Syaoran answered in Japanese so his friends could follow the conversation.

His Mother stiffened. "Keroberus? The Guardian Beast of the Seal? The beast with the golden eyes?" she queried further in surprisingly fluent Japanese as well.

"Hai, Ma-Ma."

A broad smile began to spread across her face. "Then you have the Book of Clow if Keroberus is here! Oh, I knew you could find it! The elders were right, you are the strongest of all our warriors and sorcerers! Tell me, how many of the Clow Cards have you captured? All, I wager."

"Um… no. Six." he answered sheepishly.

Her smile faltered. "Six? You have been in Japan for five years and you only have six Clow Cards to show for it?"

Syaoran frowned. "All my letters and phone calls clearly mentioned someone else as the Card Captor."

She made a dismissive gesture. "Hai, hai, but I was hoping that you would have convinced this other to give up to you, that you were the rightful Card Captor."

He cast a frowning smirk to the green-eyes teen standing at his side. "She's too stubborn."

The girl grinned shyly in response, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Syaoran suddenly blinked at a thought. "Oh, but where are my manners? You've already met the stuffed animal--"

"Hey!" Kero balked.

"Deal with it, cotton ball. That's our unofficial videographer, not by choice, Daidouji Tomoyo-- And before you say anything, Ma-Ma, hai, I tried to stop her from taping the captures, but as you can see it didn't work."

Tomoyo giggled. "Because I, too, can be very persistent. And you guys are just too kawaii to pass up taping." She then bowed in respect to the adult in the room. "An honor to meet you, honorable Li-san."

The future leader of the Li Clan then nudged the girl next to him forward a step, a hand to the small of her back. "And this is the Mistress of the Cards, Kinomoto Sakura."

Sakura bowed elegantly. "You honor us with your visit, honorable Li-san."

The aging matriarch could only stare in shock and wonder. This fragile looking young lady was the Mistress of the Cards, the lone being on who's shoulders lay the fate of the world. No, not just her shoulders. Li-san noticed the way her Son stood with the Card Mistress. He acted like her protector, her partner and equal. They relied on each other. There was no petty rivalry between them on who could catch the most Clow Cards. There was only respect. She could feel it. Meilin's letters had often spoken of this girl, calling her only Kinomoto, and spoke of the spell she seemed to have woven around Syaoran's heart. Truth be known, Li-san had arrived ready to perform a number of counter spells to free her Son from the witch, but a spell was hardly the case here even though she could feel the subtle connection between her Son and the teen sorceress. The matriarch had learned to recognize this particular spell quite well. It was hardly magical in nature. Only spiritual and emotional. But her Son being affectionate towards someone?

"Now, why are you here?" Son asked Mother, breaking her silent musing.

With a slight shake of her head to clear her mind she met her child's questioning honey amber eyes. "Your ten week silence has worried our Clan's elders."

"Humph! They worry if I breathe wrong." he scoffed with a deep frown directed to the thought of the elders.

"They have a right to worry about you, Xiao Lang. You are our anointed one, the future leader of our Clan and--"

"And the honor, destiny and continued strength and unity of our line and Clan rest with you. Hai, Ma-Ma, I know the rhetoric." he sighed. "I'm tired of the same platitude. Is that why you're here? To make sure I'm alright and quell the elders' worries?"

She smiled broadly. "No, I am here for a much happier and wonderful reason. I was sent by the elders and, at their direct request, I am here to finally bring you home."

****

To Be Continued…


	12. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 3

23 January, 2001

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"

****

By : The MOUSE……………………….

"... I am here to finally bring you home."

When Li Lerae spoke those words, Sakura's world stopped spinning with a jarring lurch. He was leaving for his homeland. She had lost him for good now. If his Clan's elders had their way he would never be allowed to return. Never again would she hear his strong and gentle voice. Never again would she feel his aura reaching out to hers to blend and intertwine. Her chance to be with him was gone. It felt like a fist had closed around her heart and was slowly squeezing the life from her. Her breath locked painfully in her throat and she swallowed hard to rid herself of it. But it remained where it was, blocking her voice and mocking her every attempt made to speak.

Syaoran spoke the words for her. "Bring… bring me home?"

"Hai." Lerae smiled, pleased, oblivious to the look of devastation on the four teens' faces. 

"Wh-- When?" he thought to ask.

"As soon as both you and Meilin can get packed. Both the elders and I feel you have been away for far too long. You need to be where you belong. Since Meilin was not your choice for a future bride, the elders have selected four lovely young women from our Clan from whom you can choose. One even shows the signs of possessing faint magic. Is it not wonderful?"

Sakura heard Syaoran inhale sharply, as if in pain, at the very moment she felt her heart shatter. She turned and headed for the door, stopping momentarily to turn to Tomoyo. "This is a family matter, Tomoyo." she began in defeat. "We're not welcome anymore. Plus, it's getting late. We should go home now." and she walked away.

"Sakura!" the warrior called after her as she disappeared around the corner. 

Tomoyo made a move to follow her friend, but Syaoran stopped her with a pleading glance. She relented, sitting back down on the couch. He then glared at his Mother. 

"You have no idea what you just did." he near growled. "You and I need to have a long chat." Then he took off after Sakura, leaving his Mother to stare after him in bewilderment.

"What did I do?" she questioned no one in particular.

Meilin shook her head sadly. "Li-san, you have no idea what happened these last ten weeks, do you?"

"None what so ever."

"They both went through a lot." Tomoyo continued patiently. "The things they endured are beyond anything any of us will ever experience. And it helped them discover a few things about themselves."

"I do not understand." Lerae admitted.

Kero sighed. "The Legend of the Two. Clow's prophecy. What did it say?"

She thought a moment to recollect her memories. "The Legend of the Two: _If ever there be two to hunt for the cards of magic, let them be male and female. Let them feel animosity, let them feel jealousy, let them feel compassion, and let them feel love._" She blinked suddenly in realization. "By Kami! What have I done?"

* * *

Sakura was just nearing the door to retrieve her winter coat and boots when Syaoran reached her. He gently gripped her shoulder to restrain her from leaving. If she left now he knew he would never see her again. Sakura shuddered slightly under his hand, a heaving sigh escaping her lips. She refused to turn to face him. It would hurt too much to look into his sunrise colored eyes knowing she was losing him. Try as she might she couldn't bring herself to pull away from his hand. The feel of his aura surrounding her was just too comforting, no matter the pain she felt at her mind reminding her that she would never feel this again after he left.

"Sakura, please, stay. Don't ever feel like you're not welcome here. I'll talk to her." he told her gently.

"What will talking to her change? The elders of your Clan have spoken. You're going back to Hong Kong."

His heart tightened painfully at the tremor he heard in her voice. She was trying to put up a brave front, but failing miserably. He could feel her pain at the news his Mother had sprung on them. He knew Sakura loved him, Tomoyo had said as much. She had no reason to lie about her best friend's feelings. He held her shoulder a little tighter.

"_Home is where the heart is._ Sounds cliché, I know, but I believe that saying. I don't want to leave Tomeda District. My home is right here because this is the place where my heart made its roots."

She closed her eyes tight against the new wave of deep pain mounting within her, pressing her forehead to the door to steady herself. "That… that girl…?" she could barely choke out.

Syaoran blinked at what he heard. The half-truth he had admitted to all those weeks ago had returned. He had never believed she would believe it so completely to the point where it ate at her heart. He mentally kicked himself. This had no doubt been the reason she hadn't let herself become any closer to him. And baka he was had only confused her more by often forgetting he had told her he loved a girl but not telling her who it was. A thought suddenly occurred to him on how to allay her pain and worries and how to finally tell her how he felt about the teen sorceress. A slight grin touched his lips at this thought.

"Hai, that girl. She alone is the one and only reason, above all others, that makes me want to stay."

Tears burned Sakura's eyes at the smile she heard in his voice. "She… must really be special then."

"Incredibly special." he readily agreed.

"I… I hope to get to meet her someday." she managed over a constricting throat.

"You already have. In fact, you see her every day."

Her heart was on the verge of shattering yet again at this revelation. The girl he loved was someone she knew. Who did she know that he also knew and that she saw every day? The only one who fit those criteria was Daidouji Tomoyo. A flash of sudden anger rose like bile in her throat. 

Tomoyo and Syaoran? 

Together?

How could her best friend do this to her? Tomoyo knew how much she loved the warrior/sorcerer. The thought of him with someone else was almost enough to kill the young sorceress, but for him to be with her best friend… 

__

I thought Tomoyo was my friend, she came close to sobbing in anger.

The warrior felt her anger, her confusion and her sorrow as clearly as he had heard her thought. He blinked in surprise. The day's events made so much sense now. They had shared pain when Allan had nearly crushed Sakura's wrist. He had the bruise on his own wrist to prove it. They had heard each other's thoughts. The strange looks she had given him each time he thought something and her voice echoing in his mind attested to it. Somehow they were now linked. This was a wonderful gift they had been granted. He couldn't think of anyone else that he would have wanted to be so close to. 

He chuckled lightly, amused that Sakura could think he would be romantically interested in Tomoyo. She was a good friend, but he couldn't bring himself to think of her as anymore than that.

"It's not Tomoyo." he voiced, pointing out the fact that he knew her thoughts.

Sakura froze in surprise. How did he know? Syaoran's strong and gentle hands carefully turned her away from the door to face him. Still she refused to meet his tawny eyes, satisfied with staring idly at his chest. If she had to lie to him it would be easier to do so if she didn't have to look at his eyes. Unbidden tears rolled down her cheeks. Feather light fingers brushed the liquid crystals from the silk of her skin.

"Do you want me to introduce you to the woman who captured my heart so completely?" he asked. He winced slightly at his own words. The question he had asked her sounded so corny.

She could only nod, her throat now tied into a painful knot, still partly confused at how he had known what she had been thinking only a moment ago. Silently she also wondered how it was possible for him to be so tender and so cruel at the same time. He turned her by a quarter turn, until she faced one of the walls, and tilted her face up ever so cautiously, his fingers barely touching her chin. Sakura kept her eyes closed. No doubt he was going to show her a picture of the mystery girl. If she knew her she could easily match up the face with a name. Steeling herself, she took a bracing breath and opened her eyes…

… only to find herself staring in a mirror.

The Mistress of the Cards blinked, utter shock and surprise appearing on her face and reflected back at her through the mirror. Syaoran couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was when she was confused like this. She looked so innocent and helpless, so endearing. Her green eyes snapped from the mirror, to him, and back in rapid succession before she finally took a confused step back from the mirror.

__

This has to be some sort of a joke, she thought in self-explanation.

He cocked his head to one side at her thought. "Why would I joke about this?"

A strangled gasp escaped her throat. "You… you really _can_ hear me!"

The warrior gave her a warm, patient smile and simply nodded, carefully focusing his mind. _Just like you can hear my thoughts, My Love._

She blinked quickly in sheer wonder from the sound of his voice echoing in her mind, a blush tinting her cheeks from what he had referred to her as. It was so much more that she had ever dared to hope. And they could hear each other's thoughts… "When… did you find this out?"

"Just now."

Incredulity was written on her face. "How is this possible?"

He shrugged ever so slightly. "Maybe it's because of what we are, because we're the Card Captors. Maybe because we're soul mates."

Spring green met a golden sunrise as Sakura cocked her head to one side, a small grin adorning her lips. "Is that _all_ we are? _Just_ Card Captors? _Just_ soul mates?"

Syaoran smiled in return. She was taking all this a whole lot better than he had expected. Subconsciously he had believed she would be reticent to the idea that they could easily read each other's thoughts as if they had been spoken words, that they could feel each other's feelings, be they pleasant or painful. Gentle fingers tucked a stray lock of her auburn hair away from her face and she shivered pleasantly. His heart pounded hard and fast at knowing she was now his.

"Maybe more than that now." he answered her softly.

Her grin became slightly playful. "More than friends?"

A near chuckle escaped his throat as he wrapped his arms around her narrow waist, pulling her closer to him. "Maybe."

Sakura giggled softly as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder, gently nestling her face close to the side of his neck. "A lot of maybes there." she sighed, laying her hands flat against his chest.

She felt ever so comfortable wrapped in his arms. His strength and warmth were as close yet as she had come to emulating the feeling of having joined with his soul. Syaoran held her as close as he dared, content to just stroke her hair and caress her back, a pleasant frisson coursing through him at the sensation of her breath on his skin. The goddess he was holding needed to be worshipped and he was beyond honored to have been chosen to be her most devout worshipper.

"Well, there is one thing that will never have a _maybe_ attached to it. Not now, not ever."

"What's that?" she queried in a blissful mumble.

The sorcerer affectionately nuzzled his sorceress's ear. "I love you." he whispered sincerely.

A thrilled shiver raced up her spine from his admission and she gasped silently. He loved her. He really loved her. Her most secret wish and desire was now real. Even if it was cruel of the Fates to have granted her his heart at the moment he had to leave her, she was satisfied to know that he felt the same for her as she did for him. Completely independent of her control her hands slipped inside his open blazer, silently marveling at the feel of his hard chest and muscles through the thin shirt, sliding her hands around his torso and up his back to keep his heartbeat near her own. Being so close to him just felt so right, so comforting.

"I love you." she whispered in return.

His body trembled ever so slightly, his strong arms crushing her closer. "I've waited five long years to hear those words from you." he breathed into her hair.

Sakura had to smile. "Never let anyone tell you you're not patient."

Syaoran chuckled. "More like a sucker for punishment. It was such torture. Five years of watching guy after guy ask you out, of wanting to hold you night and day but not being able to, of being close to you but never knowing…"

"And now you have to leave." she sighed morosely.

"I don't want to leave." He cupped her face between warm hands and dotingly wiped the remains of her tears away. "More than anything I want to stay."

She gripped his wrists. "It just isn't fair. Why now?"

"I wish I had an answer to give you, Sakura, but I don't."

She shook her head in negative with a forgiving smile. "It's okay. I can't expect you to have all the answers. But… maybe if you did talk to your Mother…"

"I might be able to convince her. If not, I'll renounce my Clan to be able to stay with you."

Sakura quickly covered his mouth with her hand. "No, don't do that! They need you too. They need your guidance and everything you've learned over the years." She dropped her hand away, wincing from a tightening in her heart at her next thought and saw him mimic the expression, having felt the pain as well. "I… I'll learn to wait… as long as it takes until you come back to me." she told him softly in earnest conviction.

__

Even when a second away from you seems like an eternity to me, he thought, losing himself in the depth of her eyes.

"I know." she smiled, trailing her fingers down his smooth cheek.

He blinked, then smirked. "I'm going to have to be careful what I think around you."

She, too, smirked. "Why? Do you have secrets?"

Syaoran chuckled lightly. "None I want to keep from you, My Cherry Blossom." to which she smiled brightly.

"Kawaii!" a gleeful voice cried out from the other end of the corridor from the couple.

The magic using pair turned quickly, startled by the familiar outburst. There stood Daidouji Tomoyo, a wide grin plastered on her face as her ever-present video camera recorded every tender moment happening between the duo before her. The sorcerer groaned to the ceiling in annoyance while the sorceress rested her forehead against his chest in weary fatigue. Their private moment had been destroyed before they could see where it would lead. It was plainly obvious that their friend was wholly obsessed with capturing every moment, every tiny detail of their lives on tape.

"Tomoyo…" Sakura whimpered softly.

"Don't mind me." the videographer grinned happily. "Just continue as if I wasn't here."

"Kind of hard with a camera staring you in the face." Syaoran gave her a suffering frown. "How long have you been there?"

Tomoyo continued to grin broadly, still taping. "Only long enough to capture the most kawaii couple in the Universe admitting their love for each other on tape."

He sighed up at the ceiling with a pleading expression. "Buddha, help us…" he bemoaned.

"Now all I need is to capture your first kiss…"

Sakura's bright green eyes flashed in warning to her best friend. "That'll be on _our_ own terms, Tomoyo."

"Okay, okay… Just tell me before it happens so I can set up okay?"

"You can't plan spontaneity." the teen warrior grumbled, reluctantly letting his Card Mistress slip out of his arms. "Tell me you didn't follow us just to tape."

"I didn't follow you just to tape." she grinned. "We managed to answer a lot of your Mother's questions about what happened in the last two months, Li. She probably still has a lot of questions left to ask of you. And she invited Sakura and I to spend the night here."

Syaoran's tawny eyes went wide. "Say what?!"

"She invited us to stay the night." she repeated matter-of-factly.

"My Father and Touya would never allow it." Sakura reasoned to her friend.

She hooked a thumb to the living room. "If you don't believe me go check for yourselves. Li-san is talking to them right now. She did the same to my Mother a few minutes ago."

Sakura blinked. "How did she get my number?"

"Meilin gave it to her."

The Mistress of the Cards frowned in clear irritation and took off in the direction of the living room. Tomoyo and Syaoran were half a step behind her. Sakura had a horrifying mental image of Touya and Lerae yelling at each other over the phone while her Father waited patiently for a break in their conversation to have his turn to speak. A shouting match would only serve to further strain the delicate relationships the sorceress shared with both families. On one side was her biological family, to whom she owed life and whom she loved. On the other was Syaoran whom she loved with all her might. She couldn't be forced to choose if things got ugly. But, upon entering the living room, she was quite surprised to find Lerae carrying on a calm and seemingly civilized conversation over the phone.

__

Well, I'll be… Not at all what I expected, the sorceress thought in surprise.

Syaoran heard the thought and came up behind his beloved partner with a smile, tenderly taking hold of her shoulders. "Mother is probably ignoring Touya all together and is just talking to your Father." he whispered near her ear.

"That would explain why she's so calm." she agreed, goose bumps traveling along her skin from his warm breath against her ear. "Touya would have had her climbing the curtains by now."

The young warrior chuckled low. _I'd pay good money to see that._ He heard her laugh softly in her mind in response. He then turned to his Cousin now standing not far away from them. "Meilin, what did you three tell Mother to insist that Sakura and Tomoyo should stay the night?"

"Nothing, honest." the ruby-eyed Chinese teen assured. "She just doesn't want them going out at night in the blizzard."

The Card Captors blinked. ""Blizzard?"" they queried in unison.

Li Meilin Rae smirked at the Card Mistress and her Cousin, balling her hands on her hips. "All that magic and you can't feel a simple storm?"

Syaoran frowned. "As it is we can only feel magic."

"And a snow storm is hardly magical." Sakura completed for him as she moved to the sliding door to the balcony.

Her spring-colored eyes were greeted by a vast, blinding sea of white snow, swirling and billowing from the strong gusts of wind. Anything beyond the balcony railing, such as neighboring buildings and the streets below, were now completely invisible to the naked eye. As she watched the storm she felt rather than saw Syaoran approach her and stand at her side. He whistled low in awe at the sight of winter's raw fury.

"And here I thought the fuzz ball had exaggerated about all this." he breathed in astonishment.

"The Snow Card has nothing on this." his partner agreed.

"It's definite, then." he suddenly stated decisively. "I'm not letting you walk home in this mess."

She grinned at him playfully. "No complaints here."

Syaoran chuckled. "You might. I still have to figure out the sleeping arrangements. That and I seriously doubt you thought about packing and bringing your PJs with you."

Sakura smiled in confidence. "All true, but I did think to bring the Clow Cards."

"And?"

"And I have the Create Card. I can use it to help us out if we should have a problem."

"As in…?"

"Lack of space, supplying both Tomoyo and I with sleep wear… That sort of stuff."

The future leader of the Li Clan smiled almost proudly and wrapped his arms around his beloved partner's shoulders to hold her close, her back to his chest. "Beautiful and brilliant." he breathed.

She smiled. "Except in Math." she quipped and he laughed.

* * *

Sakura sat bolt upright with a strangled gasp of fear as she woke, her eyes darting about the room while she struggled to remember where she was. This was not her room. The tones here were masculine and very Spartan. A desk, a chair, a bed. That's all there was. She then looked down at the bed sheets and sighed in growing relief, her memory returning. The sheets were various shades of green. The scent of spice, sandalwood and autumn leaves permeated the room, the sheets and the pillow, soothing the remainder of her dream-induced fear. She was in Syaoran's room, in his bed. Kero slept on a plush pillow at the foot of the bed, still snoring softly.

Sakura remembered what had happened after Lerae had gotten off the phone with the Card Captor's Father. The Clan matriarch had been a gracious hostess in her Son's home, but the conversations had always shifted away from any topic relating to Mummaro's Gate. It had frustrated the young sorceress. She knew the Li Clan was secretive and possessive of the knowledge they held, but she needed to know about this particular secret. She was involved. Throughout supper Lerae had sported a proud glint in her eyes as she watched her Son and Sakura interact. To Sakura, the look had told her the matriarch had been planning something. Something involving both Card Captors. Each time she spoke there had been a veiled comment with a double meaning or some innuendo alluding to something going on between the two magic users. Each comment caused a blush before being vehemently denied.

After the sumptuous meal Syaoran had prepared, Lerae had gone about dividing up the beds for everyone. Tomoyo and Meilin had agreed to share a room and Lerae had gotten the guestroom. This had left only Syaoran's room and two people. The Card Mistress and Lerae had done their best to hide their disappointment when the warrior had given up his room to Sakura, opting for the comfort of the living room couch instead. The young sorceress wouldn't have minded to share with him, but it was better this way after all. Their relationship had started on a new path and they had to take it slow.

The Card Mistress's mind then returned to the reason why she had awakened so suddenly from such a deep sleep. It had been the vision about Mummaro's Gate again. This time it had been more complete. There was a lot more details she hadn't noticed before. Did this mean the moment was drawing nearer?

In this version of the vision she had seen a glowing woman huddled at the base of one of the massive pillars.

The Life Card?

How was the Life Card involved in all this?

She had heard the rattle of chains not far off to the side, sounding as if someone was being restrained. She had caught a glimpse of this prisoner in the reflection the knife blade had cast as it headed for her heart. It was only a split second, but in that split second she had seen a pair of fear filled gold eyes crying out to her. She knew those eyes.

Syaoran?

Two Syaorans, one killing her, the other captive?

Sakura shook her head free of the vision, dismissing the idea of two Syaorans. Her partner, her beloved little wolf was unique in the Universe. It was impossible for there to be two of him.

"Ahhhh… pudding… more pudding…" Kero sighed suddenly in his sleep, a goofy grin plastered on his tiny face.

She chuckled softly at the still sleeping Guardian Beast of the Seal. Then she sighed a smile. He had the right idea. She slid back under the plush, warm covers, settling back in her warm spot with a shiver. She mentally growled at herself for having let Tomoyo talk her into using the Create Card to make her the thin, pink silk slip she presently wore to bed. It was winter after all. She should have asked for some flannel pyjamas. But, in the end, the look she had received from Syaoran seeing her wear it had made this torture worth her while. Their newfound bond allowed her to feel his struggle for restraint when he saw her. The memory of his expression was enough to send warm shivers throughout her body, but the burning passion she felt him hold back made her burn.

She smiled blissfully while sleep returned to her and she cast her mind out in search of more pleasant dreams with her beloved little wolf.

* * *

Still towel drying his unruly brown hair, Li Syaoran walked out of the boys' locker room. Soccer practice had just ended and he was left pleasantly exhausted from the experience. Soccer was one of the few sports he truly enjoyed. It had all the elements essential to the well being and upkeep of the warrior's competitive psyche. There was an ample amount of strategy and planning involved, grueling amounts of running and sprinting, and constant tests of one's agility and prowess. Definitely a warrior's sport. It had both physical and mental conditioning required by a fighter. From the adjacent gymnasium he could hear a loud, pounding techno beat intermixed with the occasional whistles and catcalls. One didn't have to be a genius to know what was going on in there.

Cheerleader practice.

It always brought out a number of the more hormone driven males of the school's population. Syaoran shifted his backpack on his shoulder as he stared at the open gym door. He was in possession of an item that needed to be returned. He could give it back to her when she had finished practicing. A slight smirk touched the corner of his mouth from a thought. Like he would pass up a chance to see her in the new cheerleading uniform she had been given for the new semester. She was just so impossibly adorable in a uniform. That decided him and he walked through the door. The music was even louder in the gym due to the echo. Twenty or so lithe teenage girls moved in perfect synchrony to the loud beat hammering from the speakers, all wearing green and gold two piece uniforms that showed off their flat and firm mid-drifts. Multicolored pompoms flared, girls performed back flips and cartwheels. But only one girl caught his eye out of all of them. The brightest star of them all with a smile that could illuminate the whole Universe: Kinomoto Sakura.

"Hey! Li!"

The warrior/sorcerer turned to the sound of his name, carrying just over the music, and saw Daidouji Tomoyo and his Cousin, Li Meilin Rae, sitting on the lower benches of the massive bleachers waving to him. He willing sat with them.

"Are they almost done?" he asked the two girls.

"They're just finishing up now." Meilin answered. "Would you believe by the looks on their faces that this is the sixth time they've run through the routine?"

"Sixth?"

"That we know of." Tomoyo clarified, her video camera never leaving the squad. "We came in just in the middle of one a while back. This is just something to watch until we have to go to our next exam."

Syaoran looked at her skeptically. "Right. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact you swore to immortalize Sakura's whole life on tape, hm?"

She pouted a small smile. "Am I that predictable?"

""Hai."" the Cousins answered in unison.

Tomoyo mock frowned, never taking her camera off the cheerleaders. Then, after a moment, "Li, did you ever manage to find more information on Mummaro's Gate?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, hai, I did."

"What do you mean, unfortunately?"

"I mean all the scrolls and histories I need are still in Hong Kong. If I want them, I have to go home and if I go home, the elders will never allow me to come back."

"Can't Wei send them here?" Meilin thought to ask.

"I already thought of that and he says no. The scrolls don't directly belong to our Clan so the owners are under no obligation to hand them over. They won't let them out of the country, no matter whom they're for."

She sighed in defeat. "Any more bad news?"

"Hai." he muttered.

She blinked. "Nani?"

"Mother has given us until the end of the exams. Then, you and I go home."

There was a long silence between the three. "Does Sakura know yet?" Tomoyo asked carefully.

He shook his head sadly. "No, not yet. It'll break her heart and I don't want to hurt her this way. I promised…" He abruptly sighed. "I made too many promises to keep."

"Which promise do you keep?" the teen videographer stated in understanding.

"I want to keep those I made to her, but what of the ones I made to my family?"

"The woes of honor and duty, Li. Never enough room for love."

A determined look entered his wolf-like eyes. "I'll _make_ room."

* * *

From his hiding place beneath the collapsible bleachers, Higato Allan watched and listened to the conversation between the three friends. He didn't understand a thing about this gate they spoke of. Why was it so important to them? The Daidouji girl had sounded almost afraid to speak the name of it aloud. And why all the gaki's intensive research on it? Those thoughts were shoved aside when the gaki spoke the words Allan had so hoped to hear. 

Li Syaoran was being forced to go back to Hong Kong.

The joy!

Now there would be no more competition for who was the school's best athlete and, best of all, this left Kinomoto Sakura open and unprotected from Allan's advances. With the gaki gone he now had the opportunity to woo the lovely cheerleader with his impeccable charm and wit uninterrupted. The basketball star and team captain chose his prizes carefully from year to year, choosing only the most exceptional of girls, and for his senior year the girl of his choosing had to be extra special. A prized trophy. There were other girls who were certainly more lovely than the spirited cheerleader, but she had a certain innocent appeal, a quality about her he couldn't quite place but that he found alluring in the strongest of ways. Allan wanted her and what he wanted he usually got.

The blaring music finally stopped and the squad of girls dispersed, some retrieving their items from where they had been left at various places on the floor while others headed for the girls' locker room. Sakura instead headed straight for her friends sitting on the bleachers, a bright smile on her lips.

Allan allowed himself a grin. _Soon, that smile and those lips will be mine._

* * *

Completely tired yet, at the same time, amazingly exhilarated Sakura jogged over to her friends waiting for her. Syaoran and Meilin clapped in over exaggerated praise, asking for _encores_ and offering _bravos_, while Tomoyo filmed them all with a broad grin. The Card Mistress gave a theatrical bow and grabbed the towel away from Syaoran to dab away the perspiration that had formed along her throat and brow. She noted how his dark honey eyes seemed to drink in her appearance in her new squad uniform. She had been unsure whether or not she would like these new two pieces, but his obvious appreciation finally convinced her.

__

Anymore and you'll be drooling, My Little Wolf, she thought, focusing her mind on his as she draped the towel around her neck.

He looked up at her with a surprised blink. She smiled at her boyfriend in a playfully knowing way to which he blushed and smiled shyly in return.

Meilin chuckled at them. "About time you two got together."

The warrior turned to his relative with a frown. "If I'm not mistaken _you_ were the one who wouldn't let it happen."

She seemed to think about this for a short moment, then grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah, sorry about that."

His frown remained. "Don't you have an exam that's about to start?" he pointed out.

Both Tomoyo and Meilin blinked as they looked down at their watches, then shrieked in an emotion akin to terror. Each grabbing their bags and books they raced out of the school's gym complex to their classes. The teen warrior/sorcerer blinked in surprise at how fast they moved while Sakura laughed.

* * *

Allan loved the sound of her laughter. It was always so crystalline and pure, never faked, and it was addictive to all those within earshot. She was very special indeed. He frowned at the fact that her two other friends had run off though. This left the lovely Sakura and the gaki Li alone together. It was bad enough Li's Cousin had alluded to them being together now.

No.

He couldn't allow that to happen.

She was _his_ girl, not the gaki's.

From under the bleachers Allan saw the object of his obsession sit close to his bane's side. "Syaoran, that was evil!" she accused playfully. "You knew all along their exam was about to start."

Allan frowned. She still used his real name.

"Hey, not my fault they lost track of the time." Li answered. He then turned to give her a soft, lopsided grin. "Mind you, if they were guys, I could forgive them in understanding."

Higato's frown deepened when Sakura leaned in towards Li with a playful smirk.

"Oh?" she questioned in complete innocence. "And why is that?"

The hidden basketball captain near growled when Li leaned in towards the cheerleader, smiling sweetly.

"Because they were watching you." Li told her softly.

"Sweet talker." she giggled with a slight blush.

"Better than being called evil." Then, as if abruptly remembering something, he reached for something in his backpack. "By the way, I… um… I have something here t-that… uh… t-that belongs t-to you."

Allan couldn't understand why the soccer player looked so nervous all of a sudden, his face turning a very interesting shade of red as he pulled out a carefully wrapped package from his bag. He saw Li's hands trembling as he held the item in question.

"You… um… left kind of… f-fast this morning and… uh… l-left… um… t-this."

Li's face became redder and redder with each word he struggled to stutter. Sakura's delicate hands rested on the blushing teen's hands in a gentle and reassuring gesture and help steady his shaking. Higato felt his blood begin to boil from the tender move on her part.

"What is this?" the auburn haired teen questioned carefully.

Allan saw Li take a deep breath to calm himself.

"It's… It's your slip." the Chinese teen finally stated.

Sakura gasped in surprise as the hidden watcher began to fume in near uncontrollable rage. How did the gaki get his hands on such a personal item of hers? And why had the cheerleader brought it to his place to begin with? Had she spent the night?

"Oh, Syaoran, gomen. Li-san didn't find it, did she?" the jade-eyed beauty near whispered.

"No, I was lucky there. I found it."

"Where was it?"

"In my bed, where you left it." the soccer player answered casually.

Higato Allan's world turned red in sheer rage. She _had_ spent the night with the gaki! That cut it. He stormed out from under the collapsible bleachers and charged straight for the unsuspecting Chinese teen. He would make him pay dearly for stealing Sakura away from him.

* * *

The male Card Captor heard the sound of rushing feet and saw the look of fear on his partner's face warning him of the arriving danger. He let his instincts take over. A subtle sensation in his mind told him to duck. He obeyed the feeling, the punch aimed for the back of his head barely missing. Syaoran quickly leapt to his feet and whirled around to face his opponent, instinctively standing in a battle ready stance in front of Sakura. He frowned in annoyance when he saw who it was that was attacking him.

"You?" He stood up straight and scowled at his opponent, carefully circling his foe to place some distance between the impending attack and his beloved Mistress of the Cards. "I thought you knew better than this, Higato."

Higato Allan didn't answer, merely rushed him again. Sakura held back her gasp of concern for her soul mate, not wanting to accidentally distract him. For his part Syaoran just sidestepped out of the way of the lunge.

"_You have no claim on her, gaki!_" Allan shouted as he struggled to regain his balance.

"My, my. In a jealous rage, are we?" the warrior taunted.

He lunged again. "_She's mine!_" he raged.

He stopped just short of his competition for the cheerleader's affection and began to throw out numerous powerful punches and kicks in a vain attempt to hit his target. Roundhouse kicks, left hooks, right hooks, uppercuts, spin kicks… None made contact. With a peacefully placid expression the warrior/sorcerer simply dodged and sidestepped every blow with the greatest of ease. A tiny grin tugged at the corners of his lips. Realizing her boyfriend was in no danger what so ever from the enraged basketball player, Sakura settled herself more comfortably on the bleachers to wait out the fight, crossing her legs primly, her chin resting in her hand.

She abruptly giggled. "All I'm missing is the popcorn." she quipped.

Syaoran heard her and grinned as he easily avoided a spin kick aimed for his chest. Then, dodging a punch, "Wasn't I supposed to teach you how to fight?"

She watched him avoid another number of punches as she thought back for a second. "Hai, you were."

He jumped out of the way of a kick aimed at his ankles. "Well then, let's just use this as a learning opportunity." and he ducked a high kick. "Higato may just learn something too." He dodged yet another punch. "Take notes, I'll be asking questions later."

The young sorceress giggled as she pretended to write on an invisible pad of paper on her knee. She knew she probably shouldn't laugh, but Higato Allan was so woefully outmatched it was ridiculous to watch him keep trying to land a blow on the young warrior.

"Ready." she called to Syaoran.

Her soul mate jumped a few steps back to give himself some maneuvering room, both young men circling each other like Alpha Males vying for weaknesses.

"Lesson one, Sakura." he began. "Don't fight unless your opponent doesn't give you any other choice. Just like Higato is doing here. Poor boy is so incensed right now that all he has on his mind is to beat me to a bloody pulp." This caused Sakura to giggle.

Allan charged straight for his rival with a frustrated war cry. No one was allowed to make fun of him or take him so flippantly. Syaoran sidestepped out of the way at the last possible second, slapping his attacker in the back to add to the lunge's momentum. Allan landed in an awkward sprawl on the hard gym floor.

"Try to avoid the blows as best you can." her partner continued. "Retaliation is the last resort in a fight."

"What if I can't avoid the blows?" Sakura questioned, watching a furious captain of the basketball team pick himself off the floor.

"Then you block."

"How?"

"Slap the blows away from you." he answered as Allan, once again, rushed him.

"Slap?"

"Watch."

Higato threw a punch when he was near enough.

Syaoran pushed its trajectory off with the flat of his hand. "Slap."

Another punch, another similar block.

"Slap."

A kick now, blocked in a similar fashion as the punches.

"And slap."

Higato punched and kicked again and again, but the teen warrior easily slapped them all away like the previous ones.

"The trick is not to stop the momentum his using." Syaoran continued. "Use it to your advantage. By just diverting slightly off course you're throwing him off balance by a few degrees. Often that's all you need to win a fight."

Higato growled in a frenzy of rage. "_Shut up and fight me!_" he shouted and attacked his foe yet again.

"That's another thing. Never let your emotions get in the way. Be cool, be calculating."

He easily sidestepped out of the way again, his back now to Sakura. Allan panted hard, beginning to feel his exhaustion from all his failed attempts to put the hurt on his rival. Playing basketball had given him endurance, but not enough for this sort of thing. He looked up at his foe and was surprised to see he wasn't even breathing hard. Not even a droplet of sweat had beaded on his skin. Behind Syaoran he could see Sakura sitting almost prim and proper, watching the fight like an avid student watching a favorite teacher.

"So, how do you defeat an opponent who just won't quit?" she asked her teacher.

He turned his back to Higato to face her. "If you do have to hit him the object is to take him down with the least amount of blows possible. By this time the opponent is usually so tired he ends up making mistakes. One blow usually does it."

"One blow? How?"

His rage rising again for the reason that both teens were taking this fight no more seriously than a simple conversation, Higato Allan charged at his foe's back with a furious war cry. He would make him oh so very sorry for turning his back to him when the battle was far from over. He was just getting his second wind. Instead of turning in shocked surprise, the teen soccer player merely shifted his weight over to his right foot and brought his left fist up and back hard to smash into Allan's face. The force of the impact caused the self-absorbed basketball captain to flip over backwards and land flat on his stomach unceremoniously. Syaoran stayed in a battle-ready stance for a moment more, waiting for any retaliation of any kind. Then he shrugged casually as he straightened when none was forth coming.

"Preferably, like that." he answered his girlfriend's previous question.

She blinked a few times in awe. "Very impressive." she praised.

He shrugged again. "That's what happens when you stop momentum cold."

She smirked. "You sound like a Physics professor."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Shows you what exam I had today." Allan groaned from his prone position on the ground, catching the duo's attention suddenly. Syaoran gave his side a slight nudge with his foot. "_Mister Perfection_ here will wake up with one very sore nose and a very wounded pride." He then grinned slyly at the Card Mistress. "Meanwhile, what do you say I treat the most beautiful Cherry Blossom in the Universe to a hot fudge sundae."

She giggled. "She might get jealous if I tag along."

He frowned slightly, grinning at her quip. "Now why would I think of any other girl except you?"

She giggled and blushed, taking his offered hands to let him help her stand. "The battle didn't affect you more than that, ne?"

"Should it have had?"

She pretended to mull the answer over in her mind, grinning playfully. "No." she finally answered. Then, as they walked towards the girls' locker room, "Think he'll leave me alone now?"

"Not likely." he sighed. He then wrapped an arm around her bare, slender waist to keep her close to his side. "But now it might make him reconsider trying something if he thinks you can defend yourself."

"Ah, so there _wa_s more than one reason for all this." she accused slyly, giving his ribs a gentle poke.

He chuckled softly. "Guilty as charged. Now go get changed. Sundaes wait for no one."

She mock saluted with an impish grin. "Hai, sir." and she dashed into the locker room.

The future leader of the Li Clan took the opportunity of her departure to cast a quick glare at Allan just now struggling to pick himself off the gym floor. He walked over to the injured teen and frowned down at him.

"This is your last warning, Higato." he near growled as the teen looked up at him, a thin trickle of blood seeping from his nose. "Leave Sakura alone or learn to play basketball from a wheelchair."

* * *

Li Lerae gazed serenely at the drab and unassuming gray walls of the Tomeda District High School. Her amber eyes seemed to memorize the placement of every painted brick, every door, and every window before she entered the vast schoolyard. Very few students milled about in the crisp winter snow and brisk air, either relaxing before or after an exam. She barely glanced at them as she headed straight for the building's main entrance.

She was on a mission.

That morning, slightly after the Card Mistress had left the apartment, Lerae had sat down with her Son to receive some answers to some very important questions she had. The first had been when he had planned to tell his Mother about the jade-eyed teen being the Card Mistress when his letters only alluded to someone by the name of Kinomoto. His response: possibly after the last card had been captured. Her next question had been why he had shown his friends, one of whom possessed no magic what so ever, the scroll about Mummaro's Gate. His answer had not been what she had expected. He had shown the scroll because of the Card Mistress. The girl had a vision of impending danger and it had involved the gate. Her Son had also added that he would do anything within his power and beyond to protect the young sorceress. That statement of pure devotion answered Lerae's next questions about the innocent looking girl.

Xiao Lang was in love with the lithe Mistress of the Cards. 

And, from what Lerae had heard from the Guardian Beast of the Seal and both teen's friend, Tomoyo, the feeling was completely mutual. Lerae had then asked her Son if _he_ wanted to go home to Hong Kong. His answer caught her by surprise, but helped her decide on her next course of action. His words still echoed in her mind.

__

"I am home, Ma-Ma."

The plan Lerae had in mind would make Xiao Lang's transition back to Hong Kong so much easier, and possibly result in the strengthening of the Li Clan's magic.

Her sharp eyes caught movement at the school building's main entrance. Looking up from her thoughts she noticed two laughing teens, wrapped warmly in each other's arms, walking out of the door. Lerae blinked in surprise. That her Son was holding the Card Mistress was no surprise to her. Clow's prophecy had stated that if there were ever two Card Captors that they would end up being in love. She had accepted this. But that he was openly and genuinely laughing was something wholly unexpected. Xiao Lang never laughed, hadn't since he began his training all those years ago. It was what had marked the Li men, the impassable stone face. The innocent looking sorceress was indeed someone special to have had such an effect on her once stoic Son.

The laughing teens abruptly seemed to sense the matriarch's presence. They stiffened in slight alarm, having felt the eddies of magic in the air around them, and turned to face the stately woman walking towards them. Lerae watched them pull apart, Xiao Lang's hand gripping the Cherry Blossom's hand firmly in his own in reassurance, and perhaps protection as well.

"Ma-Ma? What are you doing here?" he confronted.

Lerae smiled placatingly. "I am here to conclude a part of some business I must attend to."

"What business?"

"I must speak with your professors about transferring you back to Hong Kong."

She saw her Son cast a quick and worried glance to the girl standing at his side. The matriarch's eye twitched ever so subtly in understanding. He had not yet told the young sorceress that he was leaving at the end of the week to return to his homeland. 

Her smile softened in reassurance. "You have not yet told her." she confirmed.

He hesitated. "I… I was going to, Ma-Ma, at the malt shop."

The Card Mistress looked confused. "Tell me what? Syaoran, what's going on?"

Lerae stood back in silence, letting her Son handle this explanation. She watched as Xiao Lang took both of the girl's hands, cradling them carefully as he struggled with words that didn't seem to want to escape his throat. Finally, he sighed.

"Mother set a date for me to go back by." he began slowly. "By late this Friday night I'll be on a plane to Hong Kong."

Li Lerae saw the hot tears appear in the girl's bright jade eyes at the news. They said nothing more, only stared at their joined hands as if realizing that their time within the next three days would be precious. Lerae could almost feel the very tangible pain radiating from their hearts. The enigmatic smile she sported remained as she laid a gentle and motherly hand on the teen sorceress's slender shoulder.

"But he will not leave here alone." she stated and handed her an envelope. "This is for you, young one."

More than mildly confused, the teen opened the white envelope with trembling hands. The matriarch's smile broadened as she watched the girl's spring green eyes widen at the sight of the contents. It was a plane ticket. Her lips almost whispered the words written on it in astonishment.

"T-Tokyo Air, flight two eighty three… Friday at nine fifty PM… destination:… H-Hong Kong… passenger:…" She gasped and stared at Lerae in dumb shock.

The matriarch nodded a pleased grin. "Passenger: Kinomoto Sakura."

****

To Be Continued…


	13. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 4

2 February, 2001

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"

****

By : The MOUSE……………………….

The pitch-black waters within the raised, carved stone bowl reflected a scene taking place so many thousands of kilometers away. A familiar looking yet dark eyed teen stood over the bowl and gleefully watched the three being reflected in the water. His understated frame shook in barely contained laughter. The three he spied on had absolutely no idea they were playing right into his carefully orchestrated plan. Everything was falling into place as if he himself had moved the Fates to conspire with him. At a simple thought the images in the small pool shifted to an injured teen male watching the three from a high window. A scowl of hate was on this one's face. The dark-eyed watcher could feel no magic of significance from this teen, but his almost desperate want for revenge was a very appealing sensation.

"He can be useful to me." the dark-eyed teen whispered to himself. 

He turned to smile evilly at the dimly glowing, feminine looking being huddled at the base of one of the massive pillars. It coward slightly from him, fearful of what the expression on his face meant.

"Clow's most powerful and direct descendant is coming, my dear Life. And he's bringing the lovely Card Mistress with him."

He turned back to the water now showing a still close-up of a jade-eyed girl with short auburn hair. His hand hovered just over the reflection, barely touching the stagnant waters. She had such innocence of presence and soul, a child in a woman's body. And something within him twisted. The watcher did not miss her brightness and innocent beauty. The Card Mistress was indeed someone very special. A vessel of such powerful magic, yet uncorrupted by it. 

"Very lovely… I may just spare her life a little longer so I may _enjoy_ myself. I deserve a little _satisfaction_ after three centuries." He then chuckled low. "Three hundred years pass by so quickly when you carefully plot your revenge. Soon, very soon, Clow's magic will be gone and his lineage will be wiped off the face of the planet."

The images shifted again to the injured and watching teen in the window. The dark-eyed being smiled, almost pleased. "And you will help me accomplish this, _Higato_."

* * *

Sakura was completely stunned. There, in her hands, was a plane ticket for a flight bound for Hong Kong. This was the key to staying with her beloved _little wolf_. Her hands trembled in shock as she looked first at the ticket, then to Li-Lerae, and back in rapid succession. Her mouth was dry, unable to speak from this overwhelming act of generosity. She looked to Syaoran for help, but he was just as stunned as she was, his wide honey colored eyes staring at the plane ticket nestled almost reverently in Sakura's delicate hands. Try as he might he was unable pull his gaze away. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His Mother was inviting a non-Clan member to come back with them to their homeland, to most likely enter the private sanctum of the Li Estates. It was incredible. It was an honor.

__

This has to be a dream, he heard Sakura think almost desperately.

He met her questioning jade eyes before they both turned to stare at the enigmatically grinning Lerae.

"Ma-Ma…?" Syaoran began in question.

"Our conversation this morning convinced me of this course of action, Xiao Lang." answered the matriarch. "The elders ordered me to bring you back, I cannot disobey, but you do not wish to return. You told me your reasons. The elders must also hear your reasons to want to stay."

He blinked in confusion. "But… but why…?"

She smiled gently. "I know you do not wish to leave the Card Mistress's side therefore she will come back with us as well. The elders must meet her seeing as she controls the Clow Cards. It is also because of Clow's prophecy: the Legend of the Two. No one has the right to try to stop it from coming true."

It was Sakura's turn to be confused, a delicate frown knitting her brow. "The Legend of the Two? What's that?"

Syaoran smiled at her. "Ask me again sometime."

She smirked. "I will… on our way to Hong Kong!" she squealed in delight.

She leapt up into Syaoran's arms, holding him tight in sheer joy. He laughed as he crushed her close, spinning around in place, caught up in her ever so addictive elation and laughter. She was coming home with him, back to China. He could keep his promise to her and the elders all at the same time.

__

The thought of having to leave you behind was killing me, he whispered in her mind.

__

I'll never leave you, came her soft mental reply.

The amount and strength of conviction in her thought caused him to shiver pleasantly as he buried his face in the warm crook of her neck. He smiled. Sakura could be so impossibly adorable and so incredibly seductive sometimes without her even realizing it. It made her so very hard to resist. But he didn't want to resist. Being with her was like being blessed by a divine entity. She was everything to the young warrior: strength; weakness; freedom, and life. He reluctantly pulled away from Sakura, sharing a warm smile with her for a moment, then turned to smile at his Mother gratefully.

"Domo arigatou, Ma-Ma."

Lerae gently cupped her Son's cheek. "Anything to keep you smiling, Xiao Lang."

He felt a hot blush creep over his cheeks at the near veiled implication in that reply.

"Hey, guys!" a cheery voice greeted from behind them.

They turned to find Tomoyo and Meilin heading towards them from the school building. Both looked exhausted from having written their exam, but they smiled nonetheless, happy it was over for the day. Tomoyo took one look at her best friend's smiling face and was immediately confused. Why was she smiling? Her boyfriend was leaving to go back to Hong Kong. Didn't this make her sad? She raised a confused eyebrow.

"You look awfully pleased." she posed, letting her question hang unspoken.

Lerae answered for the teen Card Mistress. "She had a good reason to be so happy. As will you as well." and she handed her an envelope similar to the one she had given Sakura.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Tomoyo too?"

"Of course. Xiao Lang has told me of the captures you have done together and how helpful she has been to you both. It would be a shame to break apart such a team. And I am anxious to see all the videos she has made of these captures."

"He told you all that this morning?"

She merely nodded as a high pitched shriek filled the cold winter air. They all turned to find Tomoyo practically dancing for joy, hugging the precious plane ticket to her heart.

"This is so kawaii!" she exclaimed. "I get a whole new back drop on which to tape my two most favorite subjects in the world!" This statement caused Sakura to groan while Syaoran patiently shook his head in disbelief at Tomoyo. Then, "Oh, matte! What about school? My Mother? The rest of the Clow Cards Sakura has to capture?"

"I will attend to the matters of school and your families." Lerae answered with a slight chuckle of amusement. "As for the cards, if the Card Mistress takes the book with her then they have no choice but to follow her wherever she goes."

Sakura frowned slightly. "I don't understand. Why?"

"In all the time they've been free, haven't you ever wondered why the cards never left Tomeda?" Meilin posed.

"You mean the book is keeping them here?"

Syaoran nodded. "It's the source of their magic. They're drawn to it like a magnet, but to get back they have to be sealed. Unless it's one of the more powerful cards, like one of the elements or Life or Death, they have to stay in the general area the book is in to survive."

Sakura nodded slowly, decisively. "They I'll bring the Book of Clow. I can't leave Tomeda to fight off the cards by itself. Now the only obstacle left is Touya."

"I will attend to him as well." Li Lerae assured with a determined expression. "A Brother can be protective all he wants, but to forbid his Sister from doing things is going far beyond being protective."

The sorceress almost smiled. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for all of this."

"You will." She then lowered her face close to the female Card Captor's ear to whisper so only she would hear. "Make my Son forever happy and you may consider this debt paid in full."

The young Mistress of the Cards blushed and bowed in acceptance to the matriarch, feeling herself tremble happily at the agreement Lerae had set out before her. In essence she was voicing her acceptance of Syaoran's choice to have the sorceress as his beloved.

"I will, Li-san." she smiled brightly at the matriarch in agreement.

She smiled in return. "Of this I have no doubt." Then, turning to her Son, "Celebrate with your friends, Xiao Lang, I still must speak with your teachers. I will come find you afterwards to speak with the Card Mistress's Father." and she began walking away towards the school.

As he watched her go, Syaoran's hand slipped gently into Sakura's yielding hand, their fingers intertwining. She gazed up at him fondly, a loving smile on her lips for her boyfriend and beloved soul mate. He couldn't help but return the smile.

"So what did my Mother whisper to you?" he asked in curiosity as he began leading the small group away from the school.

She grinned cryptically. "Ask me again sometime."

* * *

Dabbing away the occasional droplet of blood from his nose, Higato Allan watched the small group in the center of the schoolyard, silently glad that he couldn't be seen spying on them from the building's second story window. Allan saw the woman hand an envelope to Kinomoto Sakura, who promptly opened and read it. Then, the object of his affection threw herself at the gaki, Li Syaoran, in what seemed like joy. 

What had been the contents of that envelope to cause such a reaction? 

Didn't she know Li was leaving? 

And who was this woman? 

Both Li and Sakura seemed to be completely at ease with her. He figured she had to be someone they both knew. Higato had a feeling he knew this woman as well. She seemed familiar, yet the memory was buried too deep in the back of his mind for the moment. He pushed the thought away when the gaki's Cousin and the Daidouji girl joined the trio. The yet unknown woman then handed Daidouji an envelope identical to Sakura's resulting in a reaction similar to the cheerleader's, minus throwing herself at Li.

Higato frowned. 

What in the world were in those envelopes?

He watched for a moment more as the woman walked towards the school. Higato saw his rival for Sakura's affection take hold of the cheerleader's hand. They shared a tender smile, a few words, and a laugh, and then they walked away with their friends. Allan turned his attention to the familiar looking woman. He ran down to the school's main floor just in time to see her walk in from the cold. 

She was a tall, elegant woman. A woman of grace. She had long black hair tied in a neat and straight ponytail and her gold eyes were sharp and alert. Those eyes struck him as being very familiar. She walked with purpose through the halls, heading straight for the High School's Director's office. Allan followed at some distance, curious, hoping to discover who she was. She stopped suddenly, just short of turning the doorknob to the Director's office, and turned to Allan trying to hide from sight behind a corner.

She smiled. "Eight years and you still have not broken your habit of spying."

Higato blinked and stepped out into full view. "How did…? You!"

She gave him a small pout. "Have I changed that much?"

"N-No! No, of course not, Li-san. It's just… I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing in Tomeda District?"

"I am here to facilitate Xiao Lang's transfer back home…"

Higato felt himself begin to smile.

"… and his friends as well."

His expression dropped. "His… friends…?"

"Yes. The two girls, Daidouji and Kinomoto."

"Kino-… But… but Li-san… You… _you can't!_"

"It is done. Speaking to their teachers and their families is merely a formality."

Anger began to well up in the basketball star. "_Sakura is mine! You can't take her from me!_"

She blinked and looked at him. "Yours? From all appearances it would seem as if she is anything but yours. Her heart is obviously with your Cousin."

"_She and I are destined!_"

"I am afraid you are mistaken, Allan. She was never meant to be yours. Your paths never meet." and Li-san entered the office.

Higato Allan stood alone in the empty corridor, his hands balled into angry fists at his sides, his body just barely trembling in mounting rage. He was fated to be with the lovely auburn haired cheerleader with the bright jade eyes. He was sure of it or why else would life throw so many obstacles in his path to her heart. No one was allowed to refuse him his prize, not Fate and not even Li Lerae.

__

Sakura is mine. You'll see, dear Aunt Li-san. She and I are meant to be. I'll prove it to everyone, even if I have to follow you all the way back… home.

* * *

Sakura's spoon toyed with the mounds of whipped cream surrounding the melting ice cream of her hot fudge sundae. But she paid it no mind. Her thoughts were presently elsewhere. Across from her Meilin was savoring every bite of her banana split with ecstasy while Tomoyo carefully sipped at her strawberry shake to get every last drop of flavor. Returning from the counter with his own sweet concoction, Syaoran sat close to Sakura's side in the booth. He immediately noted the idle patterns her spoon was tracing, her brows furrowed slightly in deep thought.

__

Is something wrong? he asked mentally.

She blinked at his thoughts suddenly entering her mind and a small grin appeared on her lips. The gift they shared was very practical at times to share messages without the risk of someone else hearing it. And it was getting stronger with each passing hour.

__

Nothing's wrong, she replied mentally. _I'm just thinking._

He hid his smirk around a spoonful of his sundae, covertly nudging her side with his elbow. _I know you're thinking, I can feel it and hear parts of your thought. What I want to know is what that thought is to have you looking so worried?_ He looked at her with a serious and loving expression. _An angel like you should never have to worry about anything._

She blushed a soft sigh, then met his questioning wolf eyes. _I'm wondering if Li-san can really convince my Father and Touya to let me go with you._

He favored her with a warm and confident smile. _Hey, this is my Mother we're talking about. She's part mule when it comes to making decisions._

She smirked around a spoonful of her ice cream. _So, she's that stubborn, ne?_

Syaoran almost chuckled. _I had to get it somewhere._

So you're sure she can do this?

He winked at her. _Trust me._

She grinned playfully and poked the cherry on top of her sundae with her finger. Then she casually held up her maraschino cherry tipped finger to her boyfriend. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, a quirky grin turning up the corners of his mouth.

__

I always do and always will trust you, My Love, she whispered in his mind with a near seductive grin.

A pleasant shiver gripped him from her gentle admission. Sometimes he wondered if she knew how much of a seductrice she could be. She had a playful nature about her that made every second with her a kind of adventure. He took her offered hand to steady it and carefully closed his mouth around the tip of her finger, cherry and all. Sakura giggled under his steady gaze as he released her digit now devoid of the sweet garnish. Near giggles forced their gazes to part. They looked across the table only to find both Meilin and Tomoyo grinning at them while Tomoyo videotaped the whole tender scene. The soul mates groaned in realization, having temporarily forgotten they were not alone.

"Don't you ever give up?" Syaoran griped at the teen videographer.

"Nope." she smiled. "You two are just too kawaii to pass up."

"Mind you," began Meilin, "... if you guys get any sweeter I'll go into insulin shock by just being around you."

__

And our relationship is just getting started, Sakura smirked silently.

Syaoran blinked and faced his beloved sorceress sharply. _You mean there's going to be more?_

She merely winked in response, both feeling a blush creep over their cheeks at the silent promise their eyes held for each other for the future. But for the moment shyness won out and they turned away to grin timidly at their melting sundaes before them.

"You know, I was wondering something." Tomoyo began, thinking aloud. "Li-san said she would come find us afterwards. I know for a fact you didn't have time to show her all your favorite haunts, Li, so how will she know where we are?"

A quirky grin touched the sorcerer's lips. "Magic." was all he replied.

Meilin had to giggle. "It's Li-san's most frustrating trait. You just _can't _hide from her. It's one hundred percent physically impossible."

"That must be annoying." Sakura near frowned, licking her spoon.

"Very." the warrior agreed. "Especially with the kind of life I had growing up. I was serious about what I was doing, but there were some days I just wanted to have to myself."

"Let me guess. You tried to hide, but no matter what she would always find you, right?"

"Exactly that. I was very adept and creative when it came to disappearing. I'm sure Meilin can vouch for me on that."

"That I can." his Cousin agreed around a mouthful of banana split. She swallowed before continuing. "It got to the point where no one but Li-san could find him. It didn't matter how high a tree he climbed, how narrow a space he squeezed into, or how deep a cave he crawled into. She would _always_ find him."

Sakura carefully scooped up the chocolate syrup of her sundae with a thoughtful expression. "Then that's why you value your time alone so much. You actually can have time to yourself here."

He smiled shyly, staring at his dessert. "Time I'd rather spend with you now." he murmured.

Her blush returned, a demure smile adorning her lips. Syaoran could be very irresistible when he wanted to be. She felt blessed beyond words that the young warrior/sorcerer had decided to choose her to be his beloved. True, they were soul mates and were close friends, but that didn't necessarily mean they had to fall in love. Their friendship could have just become closer. But fall in love they did, a love so deep that they felt very physical pain in their hearts when they were apart. Sakura smiled to herself. If this is how they were at the beginning of their newly found relationship, then how would they be years down the road?

Syaoran's hand suddenly appeared in front of her face, drawing her attention back to reality. Only his index finger was extended, the cherry from his sundae resting neatly on the tip of it. She looked at him with an amused grin. Syaoran merely gave her a coy smile, raising a sly eyebrow in urging. She giggled in understanding. With only the barest hesitation she took hold of his wrist and closed her lips around half his finger, creating a gentle suction on it as she slowly pulled his finger out again. He could only stare at her with an expression akin to dumb shock as he blanched. He hadn't expected her to do something so... _arousing_. Sakura's smile became smug, satisfied at the reaction she had drawn out of him as he struggled to swallow the lump forming in his throat.

Tomoyo laughed from behind her camera. "I think I'll call this one _Card Captor Seduction_."

Meilin grimaced. "That makes it sound like some X-rated movie."

She nudged the Chinese girl's side with an impish grin. "Nah, that version will only be available in a few years from now."

Syaoran recovered from the shock his girlfriend had caused him and glared at the amethyst-eyed teen across the table from him. She merely grinned innocently with a small wave. She suddenly looked at something past him and gave whoever it was a cheery wave in greeting. Curious, they all turned to see the elegant Li Clan matriarch enter the malt shop confidently, already moving towards their booth.

Syaoran turned back to Sakura and Tomoyo. "Told you she could find us." he muttered.

The two Card Captors shifted over on the seat to give Li Lerae room to sit with them. She willingly accepted the silent offer, smiling at both her Son and his girlfriend. They did make such a handsome pair.

"How did it go, Li-san?" Meilin thought to ask.

"As expected. I assume no one in Tomeda knows of your abilities, Card Mistress?"

"Hai, Li-san." answered Sakura. "I'm not sure how anyone here would take to all this magic and living cards on the loose."

"Then I was correct in my fabrication. Your professors now believe you and your friend are participants in a cultural exchange program to China. You will both be staying at our home and be schooled by Xiao Lang's private tutors."

"We're not going to the local High School?"

Syaoran snorted. "I can guess why. The elders don't want to take the risk I might run away for any given reason."

"My poor _little wolf_, they're locking you up."

He grinned at the sorceress. "So long as they lock me up with a _cherry blossom_, I'll be just fine."

She blushed at his comment and giggled, hugging his arm, as Lerae chuckled lightly at them both.

The matriarch then turned to Tomoyo. "I encountered your Mother at the school. I believe she was there to take you home."

The girl groaned. "Oh, I'll be grounded for life! I forgot!"

"No need to worry. I explained where you were gone and we discussed you coming to Hong Kong with us."

"Is she okay with it?"

"She was amenable, hai."

"Kawaii!" she exclaimed and turned to the Mistress of the Cards. "Mom always did want me to travel. Guess she was just looking for someone to chaperone. All that's left now is to convince your Father."

"And Touya." Sakura groaned, slumping down in her seat. "He'll never agree to it."

Syaoran draped an arm over her shoulders comfortingly. "Never say never." he whispered in assurance.

"Your Brother is not the one to whom I must speak to on this matter." Lerae added. "Your Father has the final say, no one else. We should go now to have this business concluded by today."

* * *

Trudging home through the sludgy snow, Higato Allan thought long and hard on how to stay close to the girl he obsessed about every night and day since he saw her for the first time nearly two years ago. She had been and still was the single most brilliant creature to have walked the Earth. Bright eyes the color of jade and emerald, auburn hair that simply shone with health, the body of a dancing goddess, and skin that glowed. She was perfection in itself. So why she persisted to resist him, male perfection personified, was beyond his comprehension. All his team mates had warned him to stay away from the bright star that was Kinomoto Sakura for the simple reason that she hung out with Li Syaoran, the best soccer player in the school and an all around dangerous guy. Li was protective of her and he also seemed a bit possessive. Word around the school was he had staked an unofficial claim on the innocent looking girl. To most guys it was an unspoken signal to back off, that Sakura wasn't available.

To Allan it only sent out one signal: _challenge!_

He had already invested two school years and most of his finances into impressing her in some way, shape or form. She balked at his every attempt. In a way to relieve his frustration he would choose a girl that had some of the cheerleader's qualities, but unfortunately not all. His attention in then soon waned and he returned his focus on getting Sakura. It seemed Allan's every failure only drove her closer to the gaki.

Allan growled to himself, kicking a lump of snow. Fate was a cruel mistress to play with indeed. He truly believed he deserved to be with Sakura, yet was not. He truly believed the gaki wasn't supposed to be with her, yet he was. And to make things even worse than they were, Allan was related to the gaki, the future leader of the powerful Li Clan in China. True, his relation was actually closer to Meilin than Li, but they were still blood. He silently cursed his Father for having married one of Li-san's Cousins. Then he suddenly blinked at an idea forming in his twisted mind. His Mother was actually the key to resolving everything.

It was perfect!

He ran the rest of the way home with a gleeful smile. If his idea worked he would be able to remain near the cheerleader that so dominated his thoughts and dreams. He could offer a challenge through the official Clan channels. It wouldn't be refused then.

Sakura would be his.

* * *

With her fingers carefully steepled before her lips, the teen Mistress of the Cards nervously paced the living room of her home in growing worry. She had arrived here three hours ago with Li Lerae and Syaoran so that the Li Clan matriarch could speak with Sakura's Father. Lerae's task was to convince Fujitaka into allowing his Daughter to transfer to Hong Kong. Syaoran had assured his girlfriend that his Mother would be successful. The two adults had been in the den since shortly after the introductions had been made. The wait was slowly driving Sakura mad with nervous worry.

__

What if Dad doesn't accept the proposed deal?

What if he doesn't believe Li-san's reasons?

What if…?

What if…?

She whirled around on her heels and continued to pace

Syaoran watched his ever beloved partner and soul mate pace the length of the room over and over again, easily feeling her fear and worry through the unique bond they shared. He rested his elbows on his knees, his chin on his knuckles, and smiled at the beautiful sorceress marching back and forth before him. He almost chuckled at her, seeing the tiny frown furrow her brows. She was adorable when she was nervous. He blinked, then mentally kicked himself.

__

Baka! She's always adorable, no matter what she does.

He heard her chuckle mentally in response to his thought, but the worry remained. Syaoran reached out to her and gently gripped her arm to restrain her as she passed by him yet again. Troubled emerald met smiling dark citrines.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that." he chided gently.

She blinked as if just now realizing what she had been doing. "How else do you want me to pace?"

He sighed patiently. "Sakura…"

The sorceress looked down at her feet in shame. "Gomen." she mumbled sincerely.

The sorcerer tugged her closer and pulled her down to sit in his lap, cradling her body close and tenderly. "It's okay." he soothed. "You're worried, even when you have no reason to be."

She sighed silently and rested her cheek to his shoulder. "I wish I had your confidence. They've been in there so long."

"I know, but Kinomoto-san probably has a lot of questions about all this. It's all very sudden for him. I mean, put yourself in his place right now. The Mother of your Daughter's boyfriend shows up to ask you to let her drop everything she's presently doing here to follow her and her Son to China. His _Daddy Alarms_ probably went off and now Mother has to be very careful and thorough in explaining her reasons."

She nodded slightly in understanding. Then a thought occurred to her. "Do you think she'll tell him about the cards?"

He paused in thought. "She might have to. He might be curious as to why she's showing you so much respect when she barely knows you."

"Poor Dad. To suddenly find out I know magic, that I have a Guardian Beast, and that my boyfriend is the descendant of the man who created the magic I now have… This is all so much for him to hear."

"Had to happen someday."

Sakura cuddled closer to her boyfriend, curling comfortably in his lap. "I hope he agrees."

He leaned back against the couch's backrest as he held her close. "I hope so too." he whispered and placed a gentle, reassuring kiss on her forehead.

The Mistress of the Cards closed her eyes to better savor the incredible sensations of security and love radiating from her beloved warrior/sorcerer. She had always felt safe with him in the past, but it wasn't comparable to now. One of his arms was wrapped around her slim waist to keep her close to his chest and to support her back. His other hand rested warmly on her thigh just below the hem of her uniform's skirt, his thumb unconsciously caressing her skin. She smiled at the pleasant shiver he unknowingly caused to race up her spine. She turned towards him slightly to be able to wrap her arms around his chest, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. She loved his scent. It was masculine and spoke of power while being soothing and subtle all at the same time. Syaoran responded to her move by embracing her tighter, both arms enfolding her lithe form, his cheek resting on her head. A blissful sigh escapes Sakura's lips. This caused him to look down at her angelic features and smile softly, feeling blessed beyond words. She was the one person in his life that never expected anything more from him than what he was. She knew him better than anyone in his Clan. His Earth Angel. There was no better way to describe her. He breathed in deep, filling his nostrils with her sweet and addictive scent until he was drunk from it, never wanting to ever let her leave his arms.

"_Get your hands off my Sister, gaki!_" an angry voice suddenly shouted from the living room door.

Both teens jumped in surprise, Sakura nearly falling off of Syaoran's lap in the process. He caught her just before she fell, his arms wrapping securely around her waist. They both looked to the doorway. There, glaring daggers at them from just within the entrance, was Kinomoto Touya. Syaoran felt a very definite chill race up his spine at the expression of pure hate Touya had directed at him. There was a real chance the young warrior would never be forgiven for a mistake he had made so many years ago. He still did feel the constant remorse for having had attacked Sakura to get to the Clow Cards, but she had forgiven him for that. She had come to understand, on her own, why he did what he did. She eventually won him over as a friend, and now they were a loving couple.

Unfortunately, from the scowl on Touya's face, this one would never forgive him the past transgression or accept him as a member of Sakura's tight circle of friends. Syaoran kept his golden eyes locked on Touya, trying to anticipate any and all attacks from him, if any. He then suddenly felt Sakura snuggle against his chest once again, her arms snaking around his torso, and whatever fear he felt towards her Brother melted into a memory as he relaxed enough to lean back again. The Card Mistress sighed tiredly at Touya's persistent hate towards her beloved soul mate, then grinned at a playful thought that entered her mind. Syaoran, too, grinned as he heard her thought.

"Touya, leave my boyfriend alone." she chided patiently.

The cuddling Card Captors struggled hard to reign in their laughter as they watched the wide range of emotions play across Touya's face. First came utter dumb shock at Sakura's almost casual admission. Next came sadness as he realized that his little Sister probably didn't need him or his protection anymore. This led to jealousy that his unconditional Brotherly love was being replaced by something far stronger. Which finally changed into anger once again towards Syaoran who had stolen his little Sister's affection away from him. In Touya's mind he believed the gaki would eventually leave her when he tired with her or finished with his fun, leaving Sakura broken and hurt. Little did he know how far he was from the truth.

"When did that gaki suddenly become your boyfriend?" the older sibling demanded harshly.

Sakura seemed unconcerned by his tone of voice, her attention drawn to one of the buttons of Syaoran's polo shirt. "Syaoran told me last night that he loves me." she replied calmly, idly toying with the button. "I love him, too. The rest is just none of your business."

"You're my little Sister! Of course, you're my business! He's nothing but trouble! I won't allow this, Sakura!" Touya near raged.

"What's going on out here?" Kinomoto Fujitaka exclaimed as he suddenly appeared behind his Son with Li Lerae at his side.

The Card Captors quickly stood in anxiety as the elder Kinomoto child whirled around to face the two adults. He didn't know who this woman was. "Did you know she was going out with… with… _him_?" and he stabbed an accusing finger at Syaoran.

"Hai, I did." replied Fujitaka.

His Son blinked in surprise. "Since when?"

"Oh, about three hours ago, but I've suspected for a while now."

"And you're okay with this?" Touya spluttered.

"Hai. I knew he couldn't become her enemy. She's too much like her Mother, everyone loves her."

"He attacked her!"

"That was five years ago, Touya. His Mother explained to me his reasons for that. Let it go now."

"But, Dad--"

"I said, let it go. Sakura forgave him. The least you could do is have a little faith in her judgement." He turned to Li Lerae who had stood by patiently and quietly during the small altercation between Father and Son. "She'll be safe with you?"

She bowed her head with a smile of assurance on her lips. "Completely so. No harm will come to her during her stay."

Kinomoto-san paused in consideration, catching sight of Sakura and Syaoran grasping each other's hands from the corner of his eye. He could tell they loved each other deeply. It showed in the ease with which they interacted with each other. Lerae had said they were destined to be together because of their heritage. A prophecy had been written about them. He still couldn't quite believe it. Sakura, his little girl, was destined to become the world's most powerful sorceress. She was in possession of a powerful set of cards known as Clow Cards from a book he had unearthed at an archeological dig in the remotes of China. She was still collecting these escaped cards with the help of Lerae's Son. All those years ago something had pushed Fujitaka to keep the book he had found with him, not to report it to the museums or his peers. At the time he couldn't understand it. Out of guilt he hid the book in the farthest reaches of his study. Now he knew why he kept the ancient tome. Fate had been guiding it to Sakura through him. She had been destined from birth to find the book, release the cards, and then recapture the cards as her test of worthiness. And now, to make matters even more interesting, the direct descendant of the cards' creator was in love with her and wanted her to come with him to his homeland. He knew that she needed to learn more about her powers and heritage. The best place to learn it all was with the descendants of Clow Reed. But something nagged at Fujitaka. This was his Daughter, after all. He didn't like any part of this, but looking at Sakura's hopeful eyes told him he would destroy her if he refused. He sighed and smiled softly.

"Then it's agreed." he stated with a twinge of Fatherly worry touching his heart. "She can go." 

Touya blinked at these words as his Sister squealed in delight. "Go? Go where? What're you guys talking about?"

Syaoran chose to ignore his questions for now and turned to smile at Sakura who was near bounding out of sheer joy. "Nothing at all to worry about." he told her.

She laughed in giddy excitement. "This is just so incredible. I can't believe I'm actually going."

"Believe it." he smirked. "Expect the unexpected."

"Going where?" Touya demanded in frustration.

Sakura spun in place happily. "I'm going to Hong Kong!" she squealed.

Again her Brother blinked, this time in very worried apprehension. His little Sister was going to a foreign country? "Over my dead body you are!" he snapped protectively.

Fujitaka gripped his Son's shoulder to restrain him from any impending action. "It's alright, Son." he tried to placate. "This will be a learning experience for her, a chance for her to travel a little before College."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His Father was allowing this to happen. He was allowing Sakura to go to a whole other country with the one boy Touya couldn't and wouldn't ever trust. This was wrong. This was so very, very, wrong! 

"But… she can't go there! That's where he lives." he protested.

"It is also where I live." Li Lerae stated calmly, calling attention to herself for the first time.

He looked at her critically, trying to figure out who she was and where she fit into the gaki's plan. Who was this elegant and incredibly civilized woman? 

"Really?" he suddenly challenged. "And just who are you?"

Syaoran cleared his throat with a very smug grin. His girlfriend's sibling would never expect this. "Touya, this is Li Lerae… my Mother."

Touya had a violent reaction of surprise, taking an involuntary step back as if a physical force had rammed into him. "You…? You're…?"

She smiled, slightly amused to see someone so protective suddenly become so flustered. "You have nothing to be concerned about for your Sister's safety." the matriarch explained. "She will be staying on our family estate where, due to our social status in Hong Kong, security is paramount."

"You're _that_ important?"

The young warrior shrugged. "Too much history to explain. About three hundred years worth."

Touya glared at Syaoran. "She's still not going with you. I don't care if you're guarded by all the Dragons in China, Sakura is not going!"

"Oh, yes, she is." Kinomoto-san countered.

Touya was shocked. "Dad!?"

"She's going. C'mon, you'll want to sit down while I explain this to you. A lot of this is pretty incredible to hear." and he led his eldest child to the den.

"We should be leaving now." Lerae announced as she headed towards the front door to retrieve her coat. "The rest of this matter concerns only your family, Card Mistress."

"Thank you for talking to my Father, Li-san." the sorceress beamed, helping the matriarch put her coat on.

"It was the least I could do, Mistress of the Cards." she smiled and stepped out of the door. Then, pausing to turn back to the teen, "I simply pray he will be able to placate your Brother's fears."

"He should. Dad always had a knack with talking Touya into things."

She nodded and turned away. As Lerae walked down the snow covered sidewalk to the street, Syaoran hung back, holding Sakura's hands while he lost himself in the deep green of her eyes. He loved to see them twinkle when she smiled. It was like watching the brightest jewels or stars sparkle with a light so bright it could almost blind. That's what she was to his eyes: radiant. For a moment his voice was lost as he struggled to free himself from the spell she unknowingly cast by simply smiling.

"I'll see you tomorrow, my _Cherry Blossom_." he finally near whispered.

Her fingers lightly glided over his cheek. "Until then, my _Little Wolf_."

He smiled shyly. Then, kissing both of her hands, he reluctantly moved away from her and joined his Mother at the end of sidewalk. He paused long enough to give one last smile to his beloved sorceress, then disappeared around the corner. Sakura closed the door to the cold winter evening and leaned back against it with a blissful smile. In three days she would be leaving for her adored soul mate's homeland. 

In three days, she was going to Hong Kong.

****

To Be Continued…


	14. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 5

19 February, 2001

# Card Captors

### "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"

****

By : The MOUSE……………………….

Friday, 8:45 PM.

Kinomoto Sakura landed hard in the dense snow bank, momentarily knocking the wind from her lungs. Mentally she wondered why Clow Reed had made the seemingly innocent looking Clow Cards not as helpless or harmless as they appeared. Such was the case with the card she was presently struggling to capture on her own. The Thorn Card. From kilometers away, at the airport no doubt, her soul mate had felt her begin to fight this card and had offered his assistance. She told him to stay where he was. She would have this card captured soon and it was better to have someone of status to hold up the plane until she arrived. Li Syaoran had reluctantly agreed with this logic, warning her to be careful. She understood his caution and worry now. In nature, thorns just sit on a stem or branch as a defense, waiting for someone to prick a finger on their needle sharp tip. In magic, it was a whole different ballgame. This thorn attacked. Dazed from the impact with the ground, the Card Mistress raised her head and gasped desperately to refill her lungs.

"Sakura! Look out!" Kero, Guardian Beast of the Seal, called from off to her side.

She rolled over quickly, the card's thorny branch diving into the snow where she had been only a heartbeat before. Sakura saw her chance and raised her sealing wand.

"_Thorn Card! Return to your power confined! Thorn!_" she called out as her wand struck an invisible point in mid-air.

Ripples of magical energy eddied through the air and reached out towards the attacking card. Smoke-like tendrils formed and wrapped around the Thorn Card, dragging it towards a shimmering rectangle that had formed beneath the point of impact of the sealing wand. The Thorn Card dissolved in a mass of smoke and was absorbed into the glowing shape. The rectangle glowed for a moment more, then settled into the appearance of a Tarot-like card. Thorn was written below the image of a prickly briar patch. It floated into Sakura's waiting hand mere instants before she took off at a run for the car parked and waiting for her with its engine running. Her Father and Brother were sitting in the front seats.

"Let's go!" she urged as she and Kero leapt into the backseat.

Fujitaka released the break and the family car shot forward in the direction of the airport. Touya turned in his seat to watch his little Sister carefully. She took a deep, relaxing breath and exhaled very slowly. Teddy bear-like Kero sat on her shoulder with a proud grin plastered on his tiny face. Touya still found it hard to believe such a creature could even exist, let alone having had resided with them for the past five years. He remembered a few days back when Sakura had explained everything about this Card Capting business she was involved in. She had explained the captures, the encounters, the feelings, and she even explained this creature. Keroberus, the Guardian Beast of the Seal of Clow. For close to three hundred years this magical creature had slept magically within the Book of Clow, guarding the cards from anyone unworthy to have them. He had chosen Touya's little Sister as the next Mistress of the Cards, the one person who stood between Earth's safety and total annihilation. The only ones who stood with her were Kero, the captured cards, and the gaki, Li Syaoran. No one else could help.

"Kero, how is it the cards _always_ know to attack the day I have intensive cheerleader practice?" Sakura sighed tiredly.

He gently patted her head. "They know everything about the Card Mistress through the Windy Card. Remember, she ties them all together. Just relax now. You've had a hard day."

She nodded slowly, then looked down at the card in her hand. She smiled in satisfaction and took out a pen from her handbag.

"What're you doing?" Touya asked her.

"Writing my name on it." she replied casually, carefully scripting her name across the bottom of the card. 

"I can see that, but _why_ are you doing that?"

"This way no one else can use the cards without my permission. We wouldn't want them to accidentally escape again now, would we?" She then placed the newly captured card within the special compartment within the Book of Clow and sat back in her seat with her eyes closed.

Fujitaka glanced at his Daughter through the rear view mirror. "I still find it hard to believe you've been doing this sort of thing for the last five years without us knowing about it."

"It was better this way, Dad." she sighed. "Had I told you at the beginning there was one of three things you might have done."

"Three?"

She ticked off the points on her fingers. "You would've taken the book away and forbidden me to even try again. You would've tried to help me and would've only gotten hurt in the process. Or you would've accepted the whole deal. Seeing as there were more negative points than positive I agreed with Kero that it was best if you didn't know."

There followed a long, awkward pause. Then, "So, do all… um… captures go this… um… _easily_?"

"Some are easier than others." Kero answered for his resting Mistress. "We've had our fair share of problem cards. The latest was the most powerful of the Clow Cards, the Death Card."

Touya blinked. "The Death Card? Sounds dangerous."

"It was."

"What happened?"

"Long, messy story." Sakura sighed, then grinned. "I may tell you someday. Needless to say that card has been caught. Which leaves about twenty two more cards to go."

"Isn't five years kind of long to catch them?"

She shrugged. "They're good at hiding. And it's not easy when you're still learning your own limits in magic and stuff. But, I've been charged with catching them. Even if it takes five more years, I _will_ catch them all. I won't give up."

They reached the airport promptly at nine, spending a good half-hour in line at the check-in counter to register her and her luggage. Kero kept himself hidden within Sakura's handbag in order to stay with his Mistress and not be accidentally placed in the plane's luggage compartment. The whole time Sakura stood in line she fidgeted. She could easily feel her beloved soul mate's presence, felt it calling to her just at the edge of her mind. She was vaguely aware of her Father stating which boarding gate they had to go to as they left the registration counter. 

Before either Fujitaka or Touya could say or do a thing Sakura took off at a run through the thick crowd. She knew exactly where she was going. His aura was telling her where to go. Racing around another large gathering of people the Card Mistress finally spotted the one she was looking for. 

Li Syaoran was wearing his school uniform, same as her, his deep tawny eyes scanning the crowd as he tried to find her, feeling her aura drawing nearer with each passing second. Behind him stood his Mother, Li Lerae, dressed in the elegant traveling dress she had worn to arrive in Tomeda. His Cousin, Li Meilin Rae, sat idly on her carry-on bag, looking bored, while Daidouji Tomoyo video taped the entire group as a log of this once in a lifetime trip. Lerae watched her Son carefully, noting his every searching gaze he cast into the airport crowd, knowing exactly whom it was he was searching for. Syaoran's wolf-like eyes suddenly found Sakura's bright green eyes and locked. The teen Card Mistress caught the look of sheer relief on his face as he rushed forward and enfolded her in his arms. She responded by wrapping her arms tight around his neck to keep him close.

__

I didn't think I would make it here on time, she thought to him.

__

I was so worried about you going up against that card alone. What card was it?

The Thorn Card.

Are you alright?

She snuggled against him. _Cold, soaked from the snow, and tired, but otherwise completely fine._

A low growl off to their side forced them apart to face a very irate Kinomoto Touya. They could clearly see a vein throbbing on his forehead. Tomoyo and Meilin both laughed at their friend's older sibling.

"Give it a rest already." Meilin chided as she laughed.

"Face it, Touya, you are never going to pry these two apart." Tomoyo stated to add weight to the argument.

Touya's frown merely deepened. "He's bad news and, so help me, one of these days I'll prove it to her."

Kinomoto Fujitaka shook his head in patient disbelief at his Son and approached Syaoran. "Now you take care of my little girl." he warned.

The young warrior straightened. "Absolutely, Kinomoto-san." he assured with a respectful bow. "I swear it on my honor."

"What honor?" Touya scoffed under his breath. He looked at his Sister and his expression softened slightly. "You be careful, Kaijou."

"I will, and stop calling me Kaijou!"

He smirked in satisfaction. "Not on your life, Squirt."

She punched his gut, but not with enough force to actually hurt him. "Baka!"

__

"Attention, passengers! Tokyo Air, flight two eighty-three for Hong Kong is now boarding at Gate Thirty-Eight! Repeat: Tokyo Air…" a pleasant voice abruptly announced over the airport's public announcement system.

Meilin shot to her feet with a broad grin, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "That's our cue."

Sakura gave a quick hug and kiss to her Father in goodbye, knuckled her Brother's ribs one last time, then turned to take her boyfriend's offered hand. Her carry-on bag was already slung over his shoulder, along with his. With worry in his eyes Touya watched his little Sister walk away with the gaki's family and her best friend Tomoyo to board the plane. She was comfortably tucked against the gaki's side and didn't seem to have a concern in the world. Touya sighed.

"I guess she's not my _little_ Sister anymore."

Fujitaka gripped his Son's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "She stopped being so little a long time ago. There comes a time when you can't hold them back anymore no matter how much you want to, to protect them. That's when you learn you have to let them go. She'll be safe, Touya. I'm sure Li would never let anything bad happen to her if he could help it."

* * *

A pair of pale grey eyes scowled from under a baseball cap at the pair walking onto the plane, carefully watching the lithe green-eyes beauty. The near hidden eyes followed her all the way to the First Class section where she sat with the Chinese boy, letting him have the window seat. The steel grey orbs burned with an inner fire at the sight of the girl leaning against the boy to rest and the fact that her companion did nothing to discourage this move. The scowl deepened.

__

Soon, Kinomoto, you'll be mine!

* * *

Li Syaoran stared out of the plane's small window at the vast expanse of moon lit water below. Already he could see the long coastline that was China lit by the lights of hundreds of coastal cities and towns. The whole scenario was carved into his mind from countless sleepless nights brought on by the very thought of someday going home. He had dreaded this moment. The scenario was simple enough. The plane would land at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport where a number of attendants and security personnel would be waiting anxiously for his arrival. His luggage would be loaded into a car while he would be ushered into a waiting limousine. From there it would be a brief, escorted drive to the harbor followed by an hour-long ferry trip to Bing Di Lian, his first and birth home. But now that everything was actually taking place he didn't feel the original dread or the loathing to return he usually felt when the thought arose. Instead, he was nervous. 

__

Very nervous. 

And for a good reason. Something in the scenario had changed.

The lithe and delicate form leaning against him shifted slightly, unintentionally calling Syaoran's attention away from his inner contemplation. He smiled as he watched Sakura sleep, her cheek pillowed comfortably on his chest, his arm draped protectively around her waist. This was what was different. Sakura was coming back with him, willingly. Supposedly a person was revealed for who they truly were when asleep since all the facades and barriers were gone. But for Sakura, she was no different awake or asleep since she had none of these barriers to hide her true nature. Who you saw was who she was. An Earth Angel. Guilt abruptly invaded the young warrior/sorcerer's heart at not having told her more about his Clan. He felt he should have prepared her for such a meeting. As it was she only knew about how deeply seeped in tradition his Clan was. No one in Tomeda knew exactly how much wealth and power his family wielded in the world.

How would she react to seeing it all and to having been kept in the dark about it?

With his free hand he ever so carefully tucked a stray lock of her dark honey-colored hair away from her closed eyes, letting his fingers lightly trace the edge of her face. She sighed softly in her sleep, but didn't wake. Syaoran smiled softly, feeling blessed to be in the presence of such innocence. He knew she was exhausted. She had written her last and hardest two exams that day, had spent close to three hours in cheerleading practice, and then had battled and captured a Clow Card. A very tiring day for anyone to have. But sometimes she made it look so easy. After five years of practice she had gotten amazingly adept at hiding the exhaustion and, oftentimes, the pain of her day to day life. He hoped she wouldn't have these experiences to have to hide in Hong Kong. He tucked the blankets around her shoulder to keep her warm and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. A smile appeared on her lips in response.

"Hey, gaki!" a hushed voice called up from the carry-on bag at Syaoran's feet.

"Hush, cotton ball, someone might hear you!" the warrior hissed, keeping his voice low. "What do you want?"

"To know how much longer until we get there. My wings are getting cramped."

"About another half hour."

"Oh… How's Sakura?"

The sorcerer looked down at his beloved partner and smiled. "Sleeping like the angel she is."

Kero chuckled softly. "That's Sakura alright." Then, after a slight pause, "We're going to hunt for Mummaro's Gate while at your place, right, kid?"

Syaoran nodded. "We have to. It has to be big for Sakura to have had a vision about it. Something in the Gate woke up and it wants her, wants her powers. I refuse to let anything or anyone hurt her."

"But you do know _you'll_ end up hurting her when she has to go back to Tomeda and you won't be going with her?"

The future leader of the Li Clan looked out of the window with an air of determination. "I'm working on fixing that."

Kero blinked and stared at him in awe. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Have you ever known me to not be serious about something that involves Sakura?"

The diminutive Guardian paused in thought. "You know, you're right. Besides, this is all part of Master Clow's prophecy. All past grievances aside I really hope you two kids stay together." He suddenly chuckled. "I'm just wondering how Touya will take it when he hears the news."

Syaoran had to chuckle. "Hear it, nothing. He'll end up seeing it all on tape courtesy of one Daidouji Tomoyo."

* * *

Metal colored eyes watched from a few rows behind the chuckling teen. The girl resting against his chest deserved so much better that that boy. He seemed to be talking to himself. This was just another factor that added weight to the argument that he wasn't worthy of the girl. The almost silver eyes glowered.

__

I deserve her so much more than you do. You will be mine, Kinomoto. Wait and see.

* * *

The remaining half-hour of flight passed in relative silence aboard the seven forty-seven jumbo jet. Camera crazy Daidouji Tomoyo busied herself with both asking questions of Meilin and Lerae about Hong Kong and filming her Card Captor friends in the seats next to her. In Sakura's carry-on bag, Kero occupied his time by trying to figure out how to open the little packets of honey glazed peanuts, the flight attendants had passed out earlier, without having the peanuts go flying in every which direction. 

For his part Syaoran spent the remaining thirty or so minutes just holding his precious partner against his heart. Silently he prayed to Kami, Buddha, Tin Hau, and any other deity he could think of to be able to stay with or keep Sakura at his side for the rest of time. He looked down at the sleeping sorceress and smiled at how peaceful she seemed. He was so engrossed in his study of her face that he didn't hear the voice over the intercom announce their impending arrival and landing procedures. Within moments he felt the gentle lurch of the plane touching down, snapping him out of his reverie as the dulled roar of the engines filtered through the cabin walls.

__

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain and crew wish to welcome you to Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport. Hong Kong time is twelve oh five AM. Current temperature is presently a balmy twenty-two degrees Celsius. We hope you have enjoyed your flight. Thank you for flying Tokyo Air and have a nice day." a gentle voice intoned through the intercom.

Syaoran blinked, then shook his head with a slight chuckle when he realized that he had been staring at Sakura for the last half-hour. _You've become quite a dreamer_, he self chided in amusement.

As the passengers began to disentangle themselves from blankets and seatbelts, a stewardess made her way to the row where Li Lerae still sat as if patiently waiting for something more to be offered from this flight. The flight attendant bowed in deep respect to the matriarch, causing Tomoyo to blink in surprise at the sight.

"The captain had instructed me to allow you, your family, and your guests to disembark first, honorable Li-san." the near trembling stewardess informed ever so humbly.

Lerae merely nodded in acknowledgement and gratitude, then stood with graceful ease. The flight attendant turned to where Syaoran and Sakura were and made a move to wake the sleeping sorceress as the young sorcerer slung a couple carry-on bags over his shoulder. Syaoran stopped the stewardess with a menacing near growl before this one could touch his soul mate. She backed away in slight fear of his warning glare and stood back as he carefully lifted the sleeping girl in his arms to cradle her tenderly. Tomoyo stifled a delighted squeal at the sight and made sure her camera was focused to capture every tiny moment. Meilin and Lerae had to chuckle at the sorcerer's annoyed groan from his friend's persistence. 

"Smile, Li." Tomoyo urged. "I'm showing this tape to Sakura when she wakes up to show her just how much of an old softy you are."

"You're sure you're not related to an imp or something annoying like that?" he challenged.

"Might be." she merely replied with a grin, winning a suffering stare from the impending Clan leader.

Being cautious not to bump her anywhere, the warrior/sorcerer of the Li Clan carried his sorceress out of the plane and down the covered boarding ramp. The violet-eyed videographer walked backwards in front of him to video tape every single moment, the brightest of grins plastered on her face making her look near maniacal. The terra cotta-eyed warrior's Cousin walked at her side to make sure her friend wouldn't accidentally bump into anything on the way.

Lerae brought up the rear of the small group. A small smile adorned her lips, doing an excellent job of hiding the sudden unease she felt. Something was wrong, she could feel it. There were intense negative and possessive feelings along with feelings of animosity nearby. It was very powerful. For the moment her Son seemed oblivious to the sensations of impending danger looming. Or, if he did, he was hiding the knowledge masterfully. Her smile became genuine as she watched him being so tender and careful with his girlfriend. Lerae suppressed an innocent giggle. She never thought the day would come when her stoic and steadfast Son would actually accept a girl into his life as he had Kinomoto Sakura. It was heartwarming.

The noise from Kai Tak's busy main building reached their ears from the end of the boarding tunnel. A crisp looking steward opened the doors to the small group, revealing a throng of curious on-lookers and photographers all jockeying for position behind a police barrier to take the best pictures of the returning members of the Li Clan. Tomoyo blinked rapidly in surprise at the multitude of flashing flash bulbs in every which direction and quickly dashed behind Syaoran for refuge. Her newfound protector merely gazed dispassionately at the restrained crowd, holding Sakura's sleeping form a little more securely against his chest, hoping she would stay asleep just a bit longer even with this noise.

"You never told us your family was _this_ important!" the amethyst-eyed teen accused of her friend.

"The topic never came up!" he answered simply as he led the way down a path security had carved through the crowd. "And it's not that we're important! More like keep to ourselves a lot!"

"I'll go help the attendants find our luggage!" Meilin announced and then ran off with an escort of security guards.

"So, is this another reason why you liked Tomeda, Li?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Hai! No one of the press knew I was there!"

Photographers of every sort shouted questions at the newly arrived, hoping for at least one answer. Question like: what was the reason for Li Xiao Lang's return to Hong Kong after five years abroad? Did this mean he was of age to assume his Clan's leadership? Why did he leave for destination unknown in the first place? Where was he all this time? Who were these two girls they were treating with such respect? And why was Xiao Lang insisting on carrying one girl in particular?

The Daidouji teen took her cue from Lerae and Syaoran, ignoring all the photographers, keeping her eyes fixed on the door ahead of them. She risked a glance at her best friend still sleeping peacefully in Syaoran's arms and smiled softly. Sakura's day had been so exhausting for her that not even the noise of so many shouting people could wake her from her deep slumber. Tomoyo resumed filming, refusing to be deprived of a single pixel of the most perfect couple ever, and ignoring the calls of great sums of money if she sold this tape to one of the photographers. She growled to herself.

__

Bloodthirsty paparazzi!

A long, black limousine was parked just outside the airport's main entrance, surrounded by four black sedans. Meilin was already there helping a number of men load their luggage into the trunk of two of the sedans. Scant moments later the travelers were ushered into the limousine, the attendants and guards settling themselves in the sedans, and they were on their way away from the vicinity of the busy airport.

Kero took the opportunity, that they were now out of sight within the secure limousine, to pop out of the carry-on bag and stretch his little wings. He flew around for a moment, inspecting his surroundings. Then he landed on Lerae's knee and looked across to where his Mistress was leaning against her boyfriend, still sound asleep. Kero chuckled lightly at the adorable sight.

"Tire her out just enough and she can sleep through just about anything."

"What I want to know," began Meilin, "… is why she insisted on attending her cheerleader practice when she didn't have to? I mean, she was coming here for who knows how long."

__

Hopefully, for life, Syaoran thought to himself.

"Sakura's always been a team player." the Card Mistress's long time friend explained, still filming her favorite subjects. "She never wants to let any of her teammates down, no matter whatever the team happens to be."

A small grin touched the _little wolf_'s lips as he cuddled his _cherry blossom_ warmly, tenderly stroking her silky hair. "It's her nature." he murmured. "She never wants to let anyone down, no matter the personal cost to her." His grin faded as his arm tightened around her waist. _It's also what scares me the most about you, my Ying Fa._

While still keeping her camera focused on the couple sitting across from her, Tomoyo looked out of one of the tinted windows at the scenery beyond. The bright city lights were gone now, replaced by the occasional building and intermittent streetlights. She raised a curious eyebrow and looked back to the three members of the Li Clan sitting with her.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Presently we are on our way to the harbor." Lerae replied. "There, a ferry will take us the remaining distance to the estate."

She blinked and looked to Syaoran, noting just how many surprises he had pulled in so short an expanse of time. "You live on an island?"

He shrugged slightly. "It's the only way the leaders of my Clan can ensure their privacy. It's been in the family since the time of Clow Reed. We have another residence within Hong Kong itself, but it proved to be too much of a security nightmare to stay there. So we relocated to the Isle of Bing Di Lian. It proved to have its advantages." he ended with a slight grin.

She smirked knowingly. "Like keeping those paparazzi away?"

"Mm, that's part of it." he smirked in return. "I'll show you and Sakura the rest of it in the morning. For now, when we get there, it's straight to bed."

She mock saluted with an impish grin. "Hai, sir!"

* * *

A lone figure stood on the harbor front, watching the vehicle-laden ferry disappear into the late night fog. Blond brows knit together above stormy grey eyes. He had hoped for the opportunity to sneak aboard the ferry before it left, but security had been too tight to allow for an attempt. Silently he cursed the Li name, deciding to bide his time for now. His moment was coming.

__

By tomorrow night, my little Cherry Blossom, you will be mine. This I swear.

* * *

With her night scope in place to be able to capture every beautiful detail of this Eden-like island, Tomoyo stood through the open sunroof recording everything in awe. Pandan trees with their huge over-hanging leaves, thick bamboo groves, tamrin flowers whose blossoms were closed for the night, papaya and banana trees heavy with their fruit, as well as coconut palms grew everywhere in thick masses on either side of the beaten path. Tomoyo was staring at both a gourmet chef's and a pharmacist's dream. The path the row of vehicles was following carved a lush and narrow valley between two high island peaks. The entire island seemed to be just that: a number of tall, flora covered peaks reaching for the sky. A thin mist hung in the air making the place look even more surreal.

The valley suddenly opened up before them to reveal an ancient, yet well kept, building of white stone and red clay tiles. The architecture was Classic Chinese, like something out of Shogun or Seven Samurai. Luck Dragons carved in stone decorated every corner of every roof as if warding off evil spirits. All the rooms were illuminated, every exterior lamp lit in expectation of their arrival. Large black iron doors were shut behind the cortege of cars after they passed through the gatehouse. Interlocked terra cotta colored stones replaced the dirt path and led up to the elaborate and very near palatial main estate building. No matter how far back Tomoyo zoomed her camera she still couldn't fit the entire building into her shot so she contented herself to pan her camera from one extreme to the other. The main entrance of this immense structure soon loomed into view at the top of numerous stone steps. More Luck Dragons guarded either side of these steps. Standing at the base of these steps were four elegantly dressed women in the head of what looked like attendants and guards. Tomoyo dropped back down into her seat as the limousine drew nearer to these people. A look of elated awe was on the teen's face.

"This whole place is just incredible, like out of a Fairy Tale." she praised.

Meilin shrugged almost casually. "It's home."

"But it's so… so… _kawaii!_"

Lerae smiled gently at the ecstatic girl. "I am most pleased you approve of our humble home. A guest who appreciates the home honors the host."

"Then consider yourself _very_ honored. Oh, it's too bad Sakura is missing all this."

"But she will see it all eventually. You are recording everything."

Tomoyo nodded, then looked to Sakura still sleeping against Syaoran's side, wrapped protectively in his arms. The amethyst-eyed girl smiled at the couple, then smirked. 

"Aren't you tired of holding her?" she queried.

The warrior looked up from his contemplation of the sorceress's features and looked to his friend with a raised eyebrow. "I could never get tired of that."

"Sakura sure is lucky to have you, Li." she sighed, smiling.

He shook his head in a negative. "I'm the lucky one. With all the mean and nasty things I ever said to her, why she still chose to be with me… It's beyond anything I ever dared to hope for."

Syaoran then cast a quick glance to his Mother who nodded silently in understanding of the silent question his eyes sent her. The two alert teen girls with them noticed this silent exchange and grinned at each other knowingly. Something was going to happen here during their stay. 

Something big. 

Something wonderful.

Kero peered out of the sunroof at the building. He perked up and smiled. "Hey, I remember this place!" he stated.

"You have been here before. Kero-san?" Lerae queried.

He landed gently on her knee. "Yes, some three hundred years ago. This is where Clow Reed created the Clow Cards. I was created here too." He suddenly grinned. "I wonder if the kitchens are still as huge as I remember them."

Meilin stifled a laugh. "Big enough to fill ten of you, cotton fluff."

"Yeah!" the Guardian exclaimed, pleased.

The cortege of cars drew to a slow stop in front of the main building, servants and other personal attendants beginning to scramble to unload the luggage. The four women Tomoyo had spotted earlier stood prim and proper at the bottom of the stone steps, patiently waiting for the occupants of the limousine to disembark. Meilin was the first to exit, closely followed by Tomoyo and then Lerae while Syaoran carefully gathered Sakura's sleeping form up in his arms. The four women bowed to the three already standing outside the vehicle.

"Welcome home, Ma-Ma." one woman greeted in Cantonese. "Tell us, how is Japan at this time of year?"

"Very cold and covered in snow, my dear Feimei." Lerae answered her Daughter in Cantonese as well.

"Where is our little Brother?" another of the women asked.

"He is coming, Shiefa. He is merely being careful of the delicate flower he has brought with him."

Another looked confused. "Delicate flower, Ma-Ma?"

"Hai. _This_ delicate flower, Fanren." she indicated just as Syaoran stepped into sight with the sleeping sorceress cradled tenderly in his arms. "My Daughters, this is the chosen Mistress of the Cards, Kinomoto Sakura, and her friend, Daidouji Tomoyo." Kero then flew up into view, landing on Syaoran's shoulder. "And this is Keroberus, the Guardian Beast of the Seal."

The four women were stunned into silence for a moment at these revelations. Then, after recovering from their initial shock, they quickly gathered around the Card Capting duo and cooed over the sleeping Mistress of the Clow Cards. Kero retreated from their advance and flew off to the safety of Tomoyo's shoulder. This one began to chuckle as she videotaped the entire scene. Syaoran growled low in annoyance, holding Sakura a little closer to his chest. Shiefa reached to gently pinch the sleeping sorceress's cheek only to have her Brother take a quick step back to prevent her.

"Touch her and you're not getting your fingers back!" he growled low in menace in Cantonese.

Feimei ignored the tone of his voice and very near squealed in wonder. "But she is simply so adorable!"

"Her name suits her so well. A lovely Cherry Blossom." Fanren cooed.

"Hush, or you'll wake her!" he snapped in a half whisper.

"Hey, Li?" Tomoyo suddenly questioned, trying not to laugh at his obvious discomfort.

"Nani?" he came close to snapping.

"Just wanted to let you know that if you guys are all going to talk in Cantonese then Sakura and I won't be able to understand a thing you're saying."

He blinked. "Oh, right… um…" He looked flustered and encumbered all of a sudden. "Ma-Ma, could you…?"

The matriarch immediately understood what it was he wanted her to do. Without saying a word she approached the teen videographer and pressed her palm to this one's forehead. After a moment she turned and repeated the motion to the slumbering Card Mistress. Tomoyo blinked a few times in confusion.

"Was… was that supposed to do something?" she asked.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Syaoran posed.

"Hai."

"Then it did something." and he began climbing the many steps with Kero hovering just over his head to avoid the warrior's Sisters.

"Magic?" Tomoyo breathed.

Lerae gently patter the teen's shoulder to help appease the sudden shock she knew she had to be feeling. "Here in our home, Daidouji-san, magic is a daily and natural occurrence."

The teen paused. Then, "This'll be so kawaii!" she exclaimed with a broad smile, holding up her camera in anticipation.

Syaoran was nearing the top of the stone steps, surrounded by his Sisters. They fawned over him in Sisterly appreciation to how much he had changed over the years. Comments such as: How much taller he was now; How much more built his physique had become; and how gentle and tender he had become to be so careful and so protective of the sleeping Mistress of the Cards. At every word they spoke Syaoran desperately tried to silence them with a menacing glare or a hiss of silence. 

Nothing worked.

His Sisters were far too excited about their little Brother's return and the sight of the new Card Captor to pay any attention what so ever to his death glares. Their attention then became cooing taunts when Sakura stirred slightly in her sleep, turning in Syaoran's arms just enough to have her cheek rest against his shoulder, a small smile adorning her lips. It didn't help the situation any that the warrior's unconscious response to this move was to smile softly at his soul mate, his arms tightening just slightly.

"Sisters, I do believe we are witnessing a first for our dear Xiao Lang." the eldest of the four grinned. "Our little Brother is in love."

He glared at his siblings. "So I am, Fuutie. What of it?" and he walked away from his four stunned Sisters.

At the top of the stone steps stood four more young girls of the same age as the Card Captors. All of them were lovely in their own right and knew it. They bowed low in some semblance of humility and respect to the approaching warrior. He brushed past them without so much as a glance, eliciting a soft and shocked gasp from all of them. A humble servant met the young sorcerer at the door to the grand house.

"Li-sama, welcome home. Your honorable Mother has instructed that the Clow Mistress shall be lodged in the Peony Room of the Clan wing. Her bags have already been taken there."

He nodded silently in acknowledgement, inwardly surprised at his Mother's decision to give Sakura a room in the Clan's private wing of the estate. And to place her in the Peony Room, the room right next to his own. A small part of his mind screamed that the Clan matriarch was planning something, but for now he ignored this tiny voice. Little yellow Kero flew ahead of him, muttering to himself about rooms and corridors they passed that he remembered. Even after three hundred years, nothing much had changed about this place. They climbed several flights of grand stairs to a part of the edifice that over looked the sea, a part near the rear of this main building. Syaoran led the way down a wide corridor until they were before two sets of doors. Kero looked from one to the other in slight confusion.

"It's been a while. Which one is the Peony Room again?" he queried as he stared at the closed doors.

"The one on the right. The other one's mine. Open the door, will you?"

The magical Guardian obeyed without question, preceding the warrior into the immense and exquisite room. Everything was decorated in pale and light colors, in the understated beauty of pale bamboo and delicate peonies. Freshly cut cherry blossoms were in simple bone china vase of traditional white and blue next to the gigantic bed. Thick and plush carpets covered the floor, their pale powder blue color matched by the gauzy curtains, upholstery and bed sheets. The soft glow of a lit oil lamp cast just enough light to see by. Moonlight filtered through the closed balcony doors, a gentle and tropical breeze wafting through an open window. Flying over to the bed Kero turned down the satin and silk sheets, then plopped himself down on a pillow.

"You know, I don't get something." he suddenly voiced as Syaoran approached the bed with his precious sorceress. "Mummaro's Gate is a magnet for dark magic, ne?"

"Hai."

"One spark of Sakura's light magic would be enough to destroy the place."

"So…?"

"So, gaki, what I want to know is why that dark thingamajig from her vision wants her to die _in_ the Gate? After centuries of collecting dark magic we're talking an explosion that could destroy half the planet. What's the reason?"

Syaoran carefully set his beloved sorceress down in the middle of the bed, being ever so cautious to make sure she was perfectly comfortable. He rolled Kero's question over in his mind as he removed Sakura's shoes from her feet, setting them at her bedside on the floor. Then he covered her sleeping form with the light blankets, sitting on the edge of the bed to watch her sleep for a moment.

"Maybe that's that thing's reason." the warrior voiced.

"What is?"

"Blowing up half the planet. What are dark magic users usually Hell bent on?"

"Destruction and revenge."

"Exactly. So there's no bigger destruction than blowing up the planet and whatever it is get's its revenge on whoever."

"Then you know what we have to do." Kero stated with fierce conviction.

Still gazing down at Sakura's angelic sleeping features, Syaoran frowned a nod. "We can't let her go anywhere near the Gate. She warned us of this, but it's not her fight." _It's now mine._

"Right." Kero suddenly yawned and curled himself into a tight ball. He sighed blissfully. "Wake me when breakfast is ready."

The Li Clan's soon to be leader chuckled silently and returned his gaze to the auburn haired beauty sleeping before him. A tiny, peaceful smile adorned her lips, confident in the thought that her soul mate would let nothing happen to her while she slept. He tenderly brushed a few stray strands of her hair away from her face and she giggled in her sleep in response to his touch. A low, soft sigh of bliss escaped her lips.

"… Syaoran…" she whispered with much affection.

The object of her dream smiled down at her in awed love. Bolstering his courage up a notch he leaned down towards her and let his lips brush hers.

Just a brush.

His courage to kiss her as he had done so many months before just couldn't be found yet. So he was content to simply capture her breath and savor its sweetness upon his tongue. Then he pulled back to smile down on his reason for being. Fighting his every instinct telling him to stay, he rose to his feet and quietly made his way to the door. Only there did he pause to cast a lingering look on his mortal goddess. He smiled tenderly.

"Sleep well, My Love." he whispered to the night, then left.

"… love you…" the sorceress replied in her sleep.

****

To Be Continued…


	15. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 6

DimensionsP15

March 1, 2001

****

Beware!! This is a long chapter. ^_^() Hence the overly long delay in posting. Gomen, minna! 

Card Captors "Dimensions II - Test of Evil" ****

By : The MOUSE............................

Sakura was floating on a sense of utter peace and pure contentment as she surfaced lazily from her deep sleep. One by one her senses came alive to the world around her. She could feel the gentle warmth of the morning air caressing her cheeks and the cool smoothness of the bed sheets against her bare legs. The thick aroma of salty sea water and lush vegetation filled her nostrils. And the sound of surf hitting rocks in the distance played a soothing background to the crystalline sounds of twittering birds and the sound of fighting...

__

Fighting?

She bolted upright in the bed, getting her first look at her new surroundings. She strangled a surprised gasp at the understated opulence of the room she was in. All the colors and shade were soft, designed to calm and relax a person sleeping within. A motif of peonies and bamboo dominated the room. Flowering cherry blossom branches decorated the small bedside table. Kero was still sleeping on her satin pillow, snoring and muttering softly from dreams. 

__

Matte, wasn't I just in an airplane?

Again the sounds of fighting reached the young sorceress's ears and she hopped out of bed, throwing open the balcony doors and stepping out into the early morning daylight.

And froze.

A paradise greeted her wide aventurine eyes. Aquamarine skies and sapphire waters surrounded a lush jade landscape skirted in pearl white sands and jet-black rocks. White washed stones made up short walls fencing in wide terraces of well-kept emerald lawns.

__

This is Syaoran's home? she marveled, realizing her room was three stories up from the highest of the terraces.

The sounds of people doing battle drew her attention away from the scenery down to the highest and largest of the green terraces. A number of people were gathered there, roughly three dozen at first glance, surrounding two fighting individuals. By the looks of things it was some sort of morning practice. Squinting for a better view through the already bright breaking dawn Sakura saw the reason this daily routine had attracted such a large crowd. The two sparring individuals were none other than the Li Clan future leader and her beloved _little wolf_, Syaoran, and his Cousin, Meilin. The sorceress smirked. She should have known they wouldn't have given up their regular routine just because they were home.

She raced back into the room and began rummaging through her suitcases for a change of clothes. Etiquette wise, showing up, wearing the same clothes you had worn the previous night, just wasn't done. 

"Kero! Wake up!" she called as she rushed.

The Guardian Beast of the Seal woke groggily at the cry, rubbing his eyes with his tiny paws as he sat up on the pillow. 

"Nani?" he grumbled tiredly. "What is it?"

"Everyone else is up already and outside doing their practices." she announced as she began to change.

"Oh, is that all." and he let himself fall to his side to go back to sleep.

Sakura quickly adjusted her light skirt jumper, of a dark forest green color, over top her white short sleeved blouse, then ran for the door, pulling on her shoes on the way. 

"Your fault if you miss breakfast!" she called, disappearing out of the door.

Kero cried out in something akin to devastation. "Matte!" and he zoomed after his Mistress.

Catching up to her he took the lead, guiding her down flights of stairs and through numerous twisting corridors to where he knew she wanted to go. There was only one place big enough outside for daily practices: the main terrace. Kero remembered the days and nights Clow Reed would practice his magic and fighting skills for hours on end on this vast, man-made platform. It was always a peaceful place where a higher consciousness and concentration could be achieved. 

Just ahead, at the wide open paper door leading outside, stood four, teen girls that the Guardian Beast of the Seal recognized from the previous night. He hadn't gotten around to asking anyone who they were to have the run of the estate like it seemed they had. The girls stood together, speaking in low and giddy tones about something. He though he heard Syaoran's name spoken with much reverence and adoration every so often. The four suddenly noticed the approaching Card Mistress and her Guardian and became hushed. Sakura felt self-conscious under their intense scrutiny and gazes of contempt. It was as if they were judging her for some reason, deciding her worth over their own. Sakura cautiously circled around them to get by, wondering what the reason was for their stares, and continued out onto the terrace. The four teens followed a few steps behind her, unnerving the Mistress of the Cards even more with their back stabbing gazes.

Kero suddenly turned and flew right up into their faces. "You four have a problem?" he snapped with a deep scowl.

The four took a step back in surprise at the sight of the magical creature. None of them knew how to respond.

"Kero." Sakura called patiently. "Be nice. Lead by example."

The Beast with the Golden Eyes glared at the four for a moment more, rudely stuck his tongue out at them, then flew off to land on his Mistress's shoulder with a smug expression of triumph. The young sorceress gently patted his bulbous head and continued walking towards the crowd.

Li Lerae, standing at the edge of the fighting area, sensed Sakura's powerful magical aura before she saw the young sorceress. She turned and, at an unspoken signal from the matriarch, the gathered crowd parted to allow the Card Mistress to approach. Sakura fought against an embarrassed blush from all the attention she was getting from these people. They obviously knew things about her that she had not yet discovered about herself. Kero took it all in stride. Daidouji Tomoyo already stood at Lerae's side, video taping the entire morning practice in avid fascination. She noticed her friend's approach, smiled at her in greeting, and then continued taping. The Clan's matriarch bowed to Sakura in respect and welcome, a bow the sorceress returned with a bright smile.

"I trust you are well rested, Card Mistress?" Lerae asked, mirth in her voice.

Sakura's blush finally won the upper hand and colored her cheeks. "Forgive me for being such a deep sleeper, Li-san. I guess I was a lot more tired from that capture than I thought."

"Do not apologize, Card Mistress." she smiled. "For one to sleep so deeply in a strange place denotes that one feels secure."

"And for you, Sakura, there's no safer place than Li's arms." Tomoyo quipped slyly, never taking her eyes off the sparring duo before her.

"Tomoyo!" her friend gasped with an even deeper blush.

"Don't even try to deny it, I have the proof on tape."

The cheerleader groaned in dismay, then turned her attention to the sparring Cousins. It showed that they had learned and practiced these fighting moves with each other every day of their lives. Every move was beautiful and fluid, flawless, but also deadly in nature. The two seemed completely oblivious to the large number of people surrounding them, watching their every move with avid attention, silently judging and gauging each stroke. There were no other sounds save for the sharp breaths and shouts from the fighters and the whistling sound of fast moving Bo staffs. The motions had an almost hypnotic effect on the sorceress, drawing her complete focus to the teen warrior sparring not far away from her. 

He wore all green. Meilin was dressed much the same way, only her colors were bright ocher, almost gold. Syaoran's shirt was tight, almost molded to his appealing physique, his pants loose enough to allow no restriction to movement. Leather strips were wrapped tight around his shins, wrists and hands to protect them from stray blows. The skin of his arms glistened from a thin film of perspiration in the growing day's light, his tawny eyes fixed and alert to his Cousin's every move.

Meilin twirled her Bo expertly, then swung hard, a blow Syaoran easily blocked with his own Bo. Then, in a move too rapid for the eye to follow completely, the warrior struck his Cousin's staff away, knocked her off her feet, and pinned her to the soft lawn with the end of his staff held bare millimeters above her throat.

Meilin hissed a soft curse and groaned in defeat. "Why can't you let me win just once?" she near whined.

His eyes twinkled in mischief, but he didn't smile. "Now where's the challenge in that?"

"You losing should be enough of a challenge for you." she quipped with a raised eyebrow.

Syaoran tapped her chin with his Bo in chiding. "It's more of a challenge for you to try to beat me."

Meilin growled. "I want a re-match!" she issued as he helped her up.

"Maybe later." and they bowed to each other, signifying that the practice was now over.

Quiet, almost reserved applauds rippled through the gathered crowd in appreciation to a battle fought well and honorably as an attendant approached the fighters to retrieve their weapons. The quartet of teen girls suddenly raced forward to Syaoran, babbling giddily in excitement before his staff could be taken. The warrior heard them approach before he saw them. He whirled around, his Bo held in front of him to ward off the quartet, a deep scowl of displeasure and warning on his face. The small group near skidded to a sudden stop on the dew covered grass. A mixture of shock, fear and disappointment was written on each of their faces. 

Sakura valiantly suppressed a giggle at the sight as Meilin joined them, certain she could almost hear the low growl of warning issuing from her beloved partner's throat. The look on those girls' faces was priceless. For once she was glad Tomoyo was capturing the moment on tape.

"How kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed in delight, staring through her camera's viewfinder. "The mighty warrior won't let the pretenders near him."

Sakura blinked and turned to her and Meilin in confusion. "Pretenders?"

"Yeah." the ruby eyed teen agreed. "Don't you know who they are?"

The Card Mistress shook her head in negative.

The once rival become friend chuckled. "They were the four the Elders chose for Syaoran to pick a wife from."

She blanched slightly at the news. "... They... I... Oh..." was all she managed to stutter.

"Show them up." Tomoyo suggested, evilly playful.

"Nani?"

"Show them up. Prove to them that they don't stand a chance with Li with you around."

"... I... I could never do that!" she protested.

"Hai, you can."

"It... It wouldn't be right!"

The teen videographer clicked her tongue in patient exasperation. "I am seriously going to have to teach you the finer points of love and war." and she gave her friend a sharp shove forward towards Syaoran.

The shove's momentum kept the teen sorceress moving forward a few more steps. She felt a hot, embarrassed flush tint her cheeks as everyone's eyes turned to watch her approach the teen sorcerer. It was as if they were all silently questioning her right to come near the future leader of the Li Clan. This one felt her approach from the feel of her powerful aura reaching for his own. It was a purely instinctual move from the magical essence. Syaoran's warm tawny eyes met the vivid green of his soul mate's eyes and his stance relaxed just enough to be inviting only to her. His Bo was still held before him to ward off the others, but it no longer seemed a barrier to the Card Mistress. 

Sakura felt a smile come easily to her lips at the sight of his eyes twinkling at her, smiling at her even though he hid his real smile from everyone else. She loved his eyes. In a single glance his eyes could speak lengthy volumes. And he seemed to save this special invisible smile just for her, knowing she was the only one who could see it. His private smile, just for her. Ignoring the contemptuous glares from the four ex-brides-to-be, she boldly continued on until she stood in front of her beloved warrior on the defensive. Casually, she leaned her elbows on the still upheld Bo staff, her chin resting in her hands as she gave Syaoran a cute grin. She could feel him fighting to keep a stoic expression as he merely raised an amused eyebrow at her. He succeeded, his scowl remaining.

"You know, most people would be afraid of me right now." he voiced.

She giggled softly at the playful twinkle she saw in his sunset colored eyes. "True, but I'm not like most people."

"I'll give you that much." he agreed.

"Besides, most people also don't know you as well as I do."

"Honto?" He lowered the Bo to his side, giving her ample warning before hand so she could straighten. "And what, pray tell, do you know?"

"I know that I have absolutely nothing to fear from you."

He gave a slight nod as he handed his weapon over to the attendant. "That's one."

"I know that even if you're not smiling on the outside, you _are_ smiling on the inside."

"How do you know that?"

She smiled sweetly. "Your eyes are giving it away. _And_ I also know that no matter how mean and nasty you try to make yourself out to be in reality you're just a big softy."

He mock winced. "There goes my reputation."

"You men and your precious reputations." she accused, playfully poking his stomach, causing him to squirm and caused shocked reactions from those in the crowd. "Your tough warrior image is safe enough with everyone else. You have a different one with me."

"What reputation would that be?"

She could see a tiny smile trying to tug up the corners of his lips. _The one of being the man I am hopelessly in love with, my Little Wolf._

A clandestine smirk won the battle on his face. _With me you have a reputation of being a dangerous woman_, he sent as he led her back towards his Mother, a gentle hand to the small of her back.

Sakura blinked at him. _Dangerous woman?_

Syaoran nodded.

__

How so? she queried further.

He stopped her and brought his lips close to her ear. "Because you hold my heart and life in your hands." he whispered warmly.

A silent gasp escaped her lips at the admission, her eyes closing of their own accord as her heart did joyful summersaults from the feel of his gentle breath tickling her ear. She vaguely heard the surprised gasps and whispered comments from the gathered crowd as she felt Syaoran cup her cheek in a gentle, callused hand. The hand of a fighter, of a man used to battle. But to her it was the softest, most incredible hand in the world. She marveled that such a tender appendage could hold as much strength as it did. 

Her skin felt finer than even the finest woven silk. A work of art at its best. Syaoran didn't care if his actions were out of character to the eyes of the Clan. He didn't need to justify any of his actions to them. This was the woman he loved, that he adored. That was reason enough. He ran the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone, wishing for her eyes to open again. Even the purest of colors was put to shame in the presence of her glittering eyes. They held all the innocence and beautiful emotions of the Universe in one simple glance. One noticed her eyes first, and then the rest of her beauty would come into focus after that. He ran a hand through her soft hair, letting it come to rest on the side of her neck. He smiled when he felt the goose-bumps race over her flesh beneath his hand.

With a loving smile adorning her lips Sakura looked up at him and saw the reason for the crowd's surprised reaction. The usually stoic and publicly reserved Syaoran sported a tender smile directed solely at her, his amber eyes drinking her in as if she were fine nectar. And the world melted away from the smile and the love in his eyes. A pleasant shiver raced down her spine at the sight.

He didn't need to tell her just how much he loved her.

By his actions and looks, she already knew.

* * *

Sienna colored eyes scowled at the tender scene unfolding between Li Xiao Lang and this Japanese outsider. This wasn't right. Powerful eddies of magic radiated around the green-eyed girl in grand waves. Rumor on the Clan Estate had it that this outsider was none other than the Mistress of the Clow Cards herself, the one charged with capturing and therefore control the mighty deck of cards created by Clow Reed. In that case she was the second part to the Legend of the Two.

Mesuinu scoffed at the idea.

This girl looked far too frail and naïve to be the one to capture the Clow Cards. She was far too innocent. Only one as strong and seasoned as Xiao Lang could possibly succeed in this task. And only she, Mesuinu, would be the one to stand at his side, not this outsider. Clan law was that bloodline could only wed bloodline to ensure the strength and continuity of the line and magic. The lineage had to stay pure. Of all the Clan members available for this, Mesuinu possessed the strongest magic. It was obvious she was the one to be chosen to stand at the warrior's side. The Clan Elders had realized this fact, this being the reason she was chosen as one of the four. And her _contenders_ had realized this as well deciding to graciously bow out and help her ingratiate her to the Elders and to Xiao Lang. Mesuinu's parents had been so thrilled to have their only Daughter chosen as one of the four. She had promised not to disappoint them no matter the cost. She would stand at the Clan Leader's side as his wife.

But the arrival of this so-called Card Mistress threw out Mesuinu's entire carefully orchestrated plan.

Her plan had been that as soon as he returned she would make sure he noticed her at every turn and event and eventually have him become completely enamoured with her. It was simple. As conceited as it sounded she knew she was beautiful. Hair darker than ebony, a rosy cream complexion, eyes the color or rich sienna wood, toned musculature... how could he not see she was perfect for him, that she was his complement?

He didn't see. That was the problem. He ignored her and the other three candidates, instead focusing his attention solely on the outsider. By law this wasn't right. She was Japanese, an outsider, and a non-Clan member. His affection for her was forbidden.

But then why was no one doing anything to stop this?

Mesuinu stifled a growl threatening at the back of her throat. _Calm yourself. There's no need to worry. The Elders will be the ones to break the news to him. She isn't of the Clan so she doesn't have a chance._

She allowed herself a small smile as the Japanese girl and Xiao Lang parted ways, the girl led away by the Clan matriarch.

__

After tonight, dear Xiao Lang, you'll come to realize that you have no choice but to choose me.

* * *

Deep in the cold bowels of Mummaro's Gate a dark eyed teen smiled gleefully at the events he witnessed unfolding, images being reflected in the dark waters of a seeing pool. He nodded in approval to the possessive thoughts the shunned Clan member was thinking. His plan was coming together even better than he had expected and dared hope. This girl was the second player he needed in his little game. Soon, both players would be in place and the plan could finally be put into motion. Revenge was at hand.

Soon.

Very soon.

* * *

The day passed quickly.

Daidouji Tomoyo wrung her hands nervously into the pleats of her skirt. She sat at Li Meilin Rae's left and behind Li Lerae's right shoulder, a place of honor, a place usually reserved for a Clan member. This was Tomoyo's first tip-off that something amazing would happen this night. The rest of the room was lined with countless standing members of the Li Clan, all of Li Syaoran's closest to most distant relations. Young Daidouji had tried counting them all, to get an idea of just how large this family truly was, but stopped when she reached sixty. There were just too many and more kept arriving.

This room was huge!

It was almost the rival of the largest of Tomeda High School's gyms. It wasn't a very high room, perhaps just over three meters in height, made of dark bamboo panels and thick mahogany columns. Nor was it very wide, enough for twenty well built men to stand shoulder to shoulder across it. It was the length that was impressive. Easily one hundred meters. But neither the size of this chamber nor the vast numbers of people were what made her nervous. It was the fact that she had been expressly forbidden to bring any recording devices what-so-ever into this hallowed sanctum. The ceremony to take place here was secret to the utmost degree. She had agreed to this term out of respect to her gracious and, up to now, generous hosts, but she knew that she would end up missing something epic or completely romantic. She was certain of it.

A sudden hush abruptly fell over the gathered Clan members as an unassuming side door opened. Through it hobbled seven ancient looking men. All were wizened and bent from age, leaning heavily on sturdy wooden canes, their ceremonial robes hanging loosely on their bodies where once they had fit just perfectly. The entire room bowed to this congregation as these men made their way onto a low stage to their throne-like seats. Tomoyo bowed as well, realizing who these aged men were to command such respect.

These were the Li Clan Elders.

All seven were clean-shaven, not a hair on their heads or faces, all wearing pressed silks of green and gold, the Clan's symbol embroidered in black on their chests. Their eyes were the most striking aspect. They ranged right across the spectrum from a bright feline gold to rich cadmium red. Their gazes were sharp and alert. The seven sat and the eldest of them, sitting in the center chair, surveyed the crowd for a moment. 

Tomoyo let her eyes scan over the Clan members as well, familiarizing herself with the faces. There were so many she didn't recognize from that day's events, but a few of them she was beginning to know. She knew a scant few from sight alone from the grand tour Lerae had given them of the Li Estate that day. Syaoran's Sisters stood in the crowd each with their husbands and many children. Tomoyo smirked. It was hard to picture Syaoran as an Uncle. She stifled a chuckle at the memory of their first meeting. The young warrior had expertly hidden his surprise at the sight of these ten children as they swarmed around him, somehow sensing he was family. Sakura had laughed at her boyfriend being buried under the throng and struggling to walk under the weight of so many children clambering all over him. His numerous nieces and nephews were simply adorable and so well behaved around strangers, especially now in the serious atmosphere of this room. Watching those gathered Tomoyo's violet eyes suddenly caught sight of a face she knew wasn't supposed to be here. It was simply impossible. A small frown creased her brow. This person meant trouble.

Meilin noticed the frown on her friend's face from the corner of her eye. She nudged her side to get her attention, her eyes silently questioning her. Respecting the deep silence in the chamber Tomoyo used her eyes to point out the face she had noticed. Meilin followed the direction her eyes were pointing in and she too frowned at the sight.

Higato Allan, standing tall and smug next to his Mother.

The teen videographer's eyes questioned the Chinese girl at her side as to the reason Higato was even allowed here. To her knowledge the boy was Japanese and of no relation to the Li Clan. Meilin shook her head, silently telling her not to question for the moment. Tomoyo reluctantly agreed to this, keeping a watchful eye on the obsessed basketball player across the chamber from her.

"Li Xiao Lang!" the eldest of the Elders intoned in a voice far stronger than his frail looking body seemed capable of.

Two attendants at the far end of the room opened a set of massive doors, then bowed in deep respect to the one standing just beyond them. The Li Clan's future leader stood there, dressed in blindingly white silks bordered in black and forest green. His clothes were an exact replica of his battle outfit, without the head wear. His sword was sheathed and strapped to his back within easy reach. He strode forward with purpose, keeping his head held high and his eyes fixed on the Elders before him. Syaoran walked the length of the room with the stealth of a feline until he stood in front of a pair of stiff cushions laid out on the floor before the Elders' stage. With practiced grace he removed the weapon from his back and held it up in front of him as he kneeled on the cushion. He laid the sheathed sword on the floor between himself and the Elders, then bowed low, hands to the cool marble floor, forehead a bare inch from the ground. Tomoyo mentally ticked off the seconds he remained this way.

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Then he straightened, his eyes focused on a spot on the stage in front of him. The Elders were silent for a moment as if in judgement of the warrior kneeling before them.

"Li Xiao Lang." one Elder began. "You were charged in retrieving the Clow Cards from Japan."

"Hai." Syaoran replied crisply, knowing where this was going to lead.

"Have you found the Clow Cards?" another asked.

"Hai."

"Have you brought them here?" still another Elder posed.

"Hai."

"You lie, Xiao Lang. The Clow Cards were not found among any of your belongings." yet another Elder challenged almost petulantly.

Both Meilin and Tomoyo winced hard. _Mistake!_

Syaoran raised his eyes slowly to frown at the Elders in barely contained anger at being called a liar in front of his Clan. "Have the Elders suddenly taken to searching my personal possessions or questioning my word of honor?" he growled in a clear challenge.

"We simply wish for the Clow Cards to be returned to their rightful owner, the Li Clan." another tried to placate.

"The _are_ with their rightful owner." Syaoran countered.

"But they are not with the Clan." one Elder pointed out practically.

"No, they are with the Card Captor."

"Then show us this person who you call the rightful Card Captor." the last Elder demanded.

Tomoyo saw the young warrior barely turn his head to the back of the chamber, an unspoken signal to the attendants there to re-open the massive doors. The violet-eyed teen held her breath in anticipation, even though she already knew who would be standing there. The gigantic doors swung open without resistance on finely oiled hinges. 

* * *

From the other end of the chamber Mesuinu fumed, mentally screaming vicious curses at the girl standing at the door. She really _was_ the Mistress of the Cards. But it was impossible. Such a frail girl could never be the wielder of such power. And there was no way Mesuinu would allow this outsider to get between her and Xiao Lang, no matter who she was. She frowned at the girl standing just within the doorway. Card Mistress or not, this girl had to go.

* * *

Higato Allan's near gray eyes scanned the vast room for any sight of the lithe Japanese cheerleader. He knew she was here somewhere. She would never miss this kind of event. Beside, the Daidouji girl she always hung around with was already here, sitting with Li-san. 

Why wasn't Kinomoto there as well?

He mentally shook off the question and turned to the back of the room to see this Card Captor his dear Cousin said he brought with him. The doors opened wide and so did Allan's eyes at the sight.

__

In the name of Tin Hau! She_ is the Mistress of the Clow Cards?_

* * *

There stood Kinomoto Sakura, the Book of Clow tucked under one arm, her sealing staff in hand. She wore a far more feminine version of the white outfit Syaoran wore, bordered in black and pink. Braided pink, white and black ribbons decorated her short hair. Kero floated just above her right shoulder, a look of certainty and pride on his tiny features. For her part Sakura seemed perfectly demure and calm, her eyes on the marble floor. In reality she was struggling to keep her breath steady and to slow her racing heartbeat. She had always hated being the center of attention, of being under the scrutiny of large crowds. It was a phobia of hers. But this was the Li Clan tradition, she had to respect it. She _would_ respect it, for her beloved Syaoran. Silently she wondered how Kero could be so calm and collected in front of so many people. Steeling herself she began to walk forward towards the Elders' stage. She could hear the hushed murmurs from the crowd around her. Silent questions of her right to wear the colors she did and of her right to be in the sacred sanctum and still more whispers of appreciation. She did her best to block them all out as she continued on.

__

Nervous, My Cherry Blossom? Syaoran's gentle voice whispered in her mind.

She stifled a soothed smile. _A little, but you're here, My Little Wolf, so what reason do I have?_

Sakura heard him chuckle in her mind in response. When she stood before the stiff pillow at her partner's side she held up the Book of Clow and the sealing wand in presentation as she kneeled down. Then she placed the items on the floor in front of her and bowed low as her partner had done. Finally straightening she kept her eyes lowered to the floor and waited in silence. Part of her desperately wished she could reach over and hold Syaoran's hand to bolster her own courage, but she knew it wasn't allowed from the depth of tradition his Clan was steeped in. A gentle brush of loving emotions against her mind reassured her. Syaoran felt her nervousness, it was almost a tidal wave from her. 

__

Deep breaths, Sakura, he instructed gently. _There's no danger here. Clear your mind of everything and be calm._

Her nervous fear receded away, nearly vanishing from sense. Kero lightly flitted down and stood defiantly on the Book of Clow, boldly staring the seven Elders in the eyes, almost daring them to even try something against the cards or his Mistress. A long silence followed as the Elders scrutinized the new arrival. If Syaoran had not been mentally whispering soothing words into her mind Sakura knew she would have cracked.

"_She_ is the chosen Card Captor?" one of the Elders inquired in incredulity.

"Hai." Syaoran answered. "Kinomoto Sakura of Tomeda District, Japan."

There was another pondering silence. Then, "Kinomoto Sakura, why were _you_ chosen for this task?" another Elder demanded of her.

Sakura took a deep breath to steady herself. "I- I was the one who found the Book of Clow and accidentally released the cards. I- I was charged by Keroberus, the Guardian Beast of the Seal, to retrieve them." She could feel their gazes shift to the small magical creature glaring up at them.

"Is this Keroberus?"

"H- Hai."

Kero floated up to the Elders' eye level and glared at them in annoyance. He didn't say anything, just stared at each one in turn, gloating inwardly each time he saw one of them squirm under his glowing golden eyes. These seven recognized him as a powerful force, even in his diminutive state. But at the same time Kero could sense these Elders had a sense of self-importance that was far too great. The Elders had originally been chosen to guide the Clan, not lead them in this manner. 

There was a long silence. Then, "Kinomoto Sakura, are you aware of our Clan's claim on the Cards of Clow?" another Elder demanded to know, now beginning to ignore the glaring Guardian Beast of the Seal.

"H- Hai." the nervous teen answered.

"Then why do you persist on keeping the Clow Cards instead of returning them to our Clansmen?" another near shouted.

"I-..."

"We are the descendants of Clow Reed. His creations and the Clow Cards rightfully belong with us. Not some outsider."

"With all due respect, Elders," Syaoran began harshly in defense of his soul mate, "... it is _her_ right to do this as the chosen of Keroberus. He alone can choose who the Card Captor will be, _not_ the Clan Elders."

Kero's frown deepened at the seven in clear menace. "Clow Reed chose Elders to simply _guide_ the Clan and those with magic. You've taken your powers beyond what they should have been."

"How dare you speak to us this way!"

"We dare out of your lack of respect for the rightful Card Mistress!" the diminutive creature shouted in return.

"You should have taken the Cards of Clow from her, Xiao Lang." yet another chided the warrior.

"I tried, Elder, but she was too stubborn in the matter." From the corner of his eye he saw Sakura valiantly try to smother a chuckle. "Besides, I then realized the captures were far easier when I worked _with_ the Card Mistress instead of against her."

"You are _partners_?" one Elder demanded in near shock.

""Hai."" the Card Captors answered together.

The seven Elders stared at each other in wonder and uncertainty at this new development. They whispered among themselves, trying to decide on a proper course of action. They could see the girl cast a worried glance over to Xiao Lang as if searching for reassurance. She seemed to rely on him. The warrior/sorcerer glanced back and smiled gently at her, his hand reaching over to grip hers in a confident squeeze. 

Xiao Lang, smiling?

Xiao Lang, being affectionate? 

Wholly out of character to the stoic warrior they had seen five years ago. After a moment they sat back in their throne-like seats and regarded the two teens kneeling before them in respect with their eyes once again on the floor. Their hands were still clasped tight.

Was this Clow's prophecy?

Was this the Legend of the Two?

What were they to do with this new development?

* * *

A dark-eyed figure chuckled softly at the image reflected in the dark waters. The little _cherry blossom_ was a wonderful source of confusion to these traditional Elders.

"Perhaps I should add a further interesting little twist to this situation." he smiled wickedly. He looked to a wall and a shadow peeled itself away from it. "You know what to do, my pet."

And the shadow vanished. He turned to the Life Card huddled not far away, its light having dimmed considerably since its capture. He frowned at it slightly.

"Don't look so glum, my dear Life." It looked up at him tiredly. "Soon, your precious Card Mistress will come to me. Then, I can put you out of your misery." The card looked away as if no more interested than if he had told her the weather. He laughed and turned back to the seeing pool. "Come to me, dearest Sakura. Your destiny and death await."

Behind him, Life closed its eyes and shed a tear for a future that seemed filled with hopelessness.

* * *

The eldest of the Elders regarded the teen Card Captors thoughtfully, rubbing his bottom lip. Before him kneeled the most powerful of the Li Clan's sorcerers and the Clan's future leader. His magic was strong and pure, his lineage was direct to Clow Reed himself. At his side was a lovely teen girl, an outsider, whom he claimed was the present and rightful owner of the Clow Cards. This made her the Universe's greatest sorceress. He could feel the waves of magic circling around her, as yet unlocked by this jade-eyed beauty. To add to that Xiao Lang had admitted to being her partner in the captures of the cards and he was presenting her to the Clan as his equal. There was only one reason anyone would risk his or her honor to do this sort of thing and it terrified the Elder.

Could Clow's prophecy finally be coming true?

"Xiao Lang, do you claim to fulfill the prophecy? That you are those mentioned in the Legend of the Two?"

"_If ever there be two to hunt for the cards of magic, let them be male and female. Let them feel animosity, let them feel jealousy, let them feel compassion, and let them feel love._" he quoted from the Clan legend. "I can see no other explanation, Elder."

Syaoran turned his head and smiled at Sakura whose eyes glittered brightly in understanding, finally realizing what this legend and prophecy were and also realizing what he had just done. He had just admitted to his whole Clan that he loved her. Her heart threatened to burst within her bosom at the honor. Clow Reed had been aware this would happen, even so many centuries ago. She understood her own persistence now to befriend this warrior. Destiny had been guiding her actions from the start. Her eyes locked with his as she returned his gentle loving smile, vaguely aware of the soft gasps and murmurs rippling through the crowded room, barely hearing the _kawaii_ squealed softly by Tomoyo, barely aware of an annoying tingling at the edge of her senses. All she was aware of were Syaoran's eyes. A single glance from the Elders hushed the crowd once more. But the silence seemed to be a signal for one individual in the crowd to step forward and come stand a few steps behind the kneeling pair. His athletic body was trembling in barely contained rage and jealousy. Both Card Captors suddenly felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end in dread.

"_I challenge his claim of Kinomoto Sakura!_" this teen shouted, making sure everyone on the chamber heard him.

Sakura froze in shock only instants before she heard a low growl issue forth from Syaoran's throat. She turned slowly, instinctively reaching for her wand lying in front of her, hoping beyond hope that this wasn't who she thought it was. It was impossible for him to be here, now, at this moment. Much to her dismay Higato Allan stood there, his steel gray eyes travelling over her almost hungrily. She scrambled to her feet quickly and backed herself against the edge of the Elders' stage, clutching her staff to herself in some form of defense. Syaoran stood before her in protection, sword in hand, a deep scowl aimed at the obsessed basketball player. Kero hovered at the young warrior's shoulder to add whatever help he could. The Elders watched the scene from the safety of the stage, almost unperturbed by this turn of events yet intrigued at how protective their Clansmen was towards the as-yet-to-be-decided Card Mistress. Meilin and Tomoyo were going to race over to add their support to their friends, but Lerae stopped them.

"This is their battle, little ones." she told them. "We must not interfere with the course of Fate."

Reluctantly resigned to the fact they couldn't help, the two girls watched helplessly.

The eldest of the Elders looked down on Higato Allan in tired annoyance. "What is the basis of your challenge?" he demanded of him.

"That she was Fated to be with _me_ and _not_ with my Cousin." Allan replied proudly and confidently. He knew that Fate was a respected force within the Clan. The cheerleader would be his for sure.

Sakura blinked at something Allan said and looked to Syaoran. _Cousin?_ she questioned mentally.

His shoulders hunched slightly. _Long story._

She crossed her arms with a coy frowning smirk. _As it is you'll have a whole novel to tell me._

He winked a playfully sly grin. _We'll make a night of it._

A shy smile adorned her lips as a deep blush colored her porcelain cheeks.

"Higato," one Elder began, not having noticed the silent exchange between the Card Captors, "... how has Fate shown you this girl was yours?"

He stood tall and proud. "Fate has made me dream of her."

Syaoran snorted, vainly trying to stifle a burst of laughter.

Another Elder shook his head. "Is that all? Dreaming of someone is not necessarily Fate. In your case, Higato, one would have to say this is an obsession."

"There! That's the first _right_ decision you've made so far." Kero beamed. 

The Elders scowled at him, something the Guardian Beast of the Seal promptly ignored.

Allan was becoming flustered. The Elders dared to deny him his prize? "_She is mine!_ Fate removed Li for over two months to let me woo her!"

The Elders looked to Syaoran in confusion. "Removed, Xiao Lang?"

"Hai." the warrior answered simply.

"And where were you during this time?"

"I was still there, but invisible. An event I will explain if given the chance, Elders."

This seemed to satisfy to ancient men. Then, returning their attention to Allan, "Did you succeed in wooing Kinomoto Sakura?" another Elder queried, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura smirked and shook her head, Syaoran turning to smile at her. "No, he _didn't_ succeed." she replied before the basketball player could form his words.

"Then Fate is not at work, only obsession." yet another Elder concluded. "Your challenge is denied, Higato."

The annoying tingle at the back of Sakura's mind grew slightly in intensity, enough to draw her attention from the goings-on before her. Something was coming, something powerful. Something dangerous, but it wasn't a Clow Card. It didn't feel the same. Movement suddenly caught the corner of her eye and she looked up in time to see Allan launching a punch aimed for Syaoran's head. Her fearful expression was enough of a warning to the young warrior. In a blindingly fast move he blocked the impending blow and painfully twisted Allan's arm behind his back, shoving him away from himself hard. The basketball player stumbled in an attempt to keep from falling, quickly regained his balance, and then whirled around to face his Cousin, rubbing the pain from his arm. 

At that very moment Sakura's senses flared to life and she gasped. Whatever it was she had felt earlier had arrived. It was dark, evil. Syaoran felt it as well, the sensation temporarily drawing his attention away from Allan. The obsessed teen saw his chance and threw another punch aimed for his Cousin's face. In Allan's mind he believed that if he could mar the handsome teen's features then perhaps it would convince Sakura to consider him. The blow missed completely when the teen sorcerer easily ducked and began running after his beloved sorceress already heading for the chamber's door with Kero barely managing to keep up to her.

"Open the doors!" the Card Mistress shouted to the attendants.

"Do it!" her soul mate ordered them when he caught up to her.

Startled, the attendants obeyed quickly, opening the massive wooden doors to the night bathed terraces beyond. The moon was hidden by dark storm clouds moving in from the East, casting no light to see by. Both Card Captors' senses screamed in high alert to the magical form hiding somewhere in the darkness ahead. Cautiously the duo stepped away from the ceremonial pavilion and the throngs of people crowding the door behind them. At the head of this crowd stood the seven ancient Elders. Whatever this strange attack was they considered it the perfect opportunity to test this so-called Card Mistress's abilities. If she was the real sorceress then she would defeat this force.

"Where is it?" Syaoran grumbled under his breath. "Is it a card?" he asked more loudly of his girlfriend, his eyes trying to pierce the thick night.

Sakura's eyes stayed fixed on the shadows. "No, it feels different, darker... bigger."

"But it _is_ here." Kero voiced. "It's waiting for us to make the first move."

"Well I want to see what I'm up against before I try anything." Syaoran stated with a nod to his partner.

She understood and nodded in return. A Clow Card appeared in her hand as she closed her eyes in concentration. A glowing circle of light and glowing ancient symbols of power appeared at her feet.

"_Glow Card. Release and dispel._" In a lightning fast move she tossed the card out before her and hit it dead center with the head of her wand. "_Release!_"

Instantly the card seemed to explode into a multitude of floating spheres glowing with their own inner light. They floated quickly to every recess of the terrace, chasing away every and all shadows and darkness until the massive shape of the attacker was revealed.

"By the Great Dragon..." Syaoran breathed in a mixture of awe, fear and disbelief.

Towering a full story in height stood a creature of pure nightmare. Four powerful legs tipped in razor sharp claws; a long tail much like a whip, a muscular torso covered in a rough mix of coarse hairs, sharp spindly spikes and thick scales, and sitting atop a thick neck base sat the three heads of a dog. White fangs gleamed within red mouths, six red eyes searching for their prey. The entire creature was blacker than pitch, a vicious growl rumbling in its shared ribcage. The ground shook with each lumbering step this monster took. All three heads suddenly howled at once, the deafening wail echoing in the estate's neighboring mountains. The fur on Kero's back stood on end like an enraged cat.

"Cerberus." he hissed venomously.

Syaoran shook his head slowly in clear disbelief. "The Guardian Beast of Tartarus. The creature who hunts down souls to bring them to Hell and keep them there."

"That's not possible!" Sakura protested. "He's only supposed to be a myth."

"Tell _him_ that."

One of the demon dog's three heads swung around to the stunned Card Captors, its glowing red eyes narrowing at the feel of magic from them. It snarled, revealing glistening white fangs. The soul mates and the Guardian Beast of the Seal braced themselves, ready for any move from this creature of nightmares. They didn't have long to wait. With a mighty belch a column of blue fire shot forth from its maw towards the magical trio. Kero flew straight up and out of the way, leaving the soul mates to dive away from the flames and each other.

Sakura rolled to her feet and stared at the hulking creature in shock. "There wasn't anything written anywhere that he could do that!"

"I don't think anyone _knew_ he could do that!" Syaoran replied.

"Run behind him! It'll take him a few minutes to figure out how to turn around!"

Sure enough, with each magic user circling around the creature on either side of it, the Hellhound struggled with its outer two heads to decide whether to turn left or right. This gave the partners a brief moment to regroup.

"Any ideas how we stop this thing?" Sakura questioned her boyfriend.

"Your guess is as good as mine. This is the first time I've gone up against something like this."

"Oh, like I'm an expert?" she replied lightly.

He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down out of the way just as the creature's wiry tail lashed just above their heads. Looking up again the magic users noticed the Hell beast's three heads had finally come to a consensus and the body was beginning to turn to attack, completely ignoring the throngs of helpless people at the pavilion watching the battle. The two teens blinked in realization.

"We're the targets!" Sakura exclaimed.

Syaoran frowned grimly. "Never a dull moment." he grumbled.

The lithe sorceress called upon the Jump Card, making a pair of tiny white wings to materialize at each of her ankles, only seconds before the whip-like tail swiped at them again. Together the partners jumped high, avoiding the appendage.

"We've got to lead him away from the pavilion!" Sakura called to Syaoran as they touched ground. "We can't risk the others accidentally being hurt!"

"Head for the jungle!" he called back.

She saw him swing his sword at the incoming tail as she turned to run, slicing off the end of the beast's tail. It howled in pain as a green itchor spurt forth from the fresh wound. It whirled around, its red eyes flashing in fury and pain, and ran after the sprinting Card Captors. Syaoran easily caught up to Sakura and stayed ahead of her by a mere stride, part of his mind marveling at the stamina and speed she had accrued over the years of battling cards.

__

Was it your plan to seriously tick him off like that? he heard her say in his mind.

__

Hey, he's following us, isn't he?

Tell me again that you have an idea of what to do.

Sure do. Follow my lead, he instructed her as they neared the tree line.

He took a running leap against the nearest tree trunk, using it to jump higher on the neighboring tree; to finally use this last one as another jump point to the high tree branched near the canopy. Sakura followed suit only a leap behind him thanks to the Jump Card. Following a zig zag patterns the Card Captors leapt from tree to tree, branch to branch, trying to lead the legendary three-headed canine away from the estate's buildings all the while trying to stay away from it themselves. Unable to run through the edge of the jungle due to its size, the Guardian of Tartarus ran along the tree line, glowing red eyes almost desperately keeping the fleeing duo within its sight. Syaoran kept an eye on the creature as well as he hopped along, gauging what to do next. In mid-leapt, a sort of plan came to him to gain time. Leaping onto another branch he came to a sudden stop. Just as Sakura landed next to him he whirled around, wrapped an arm around her slim waist, and leapt to the tree they had just come from. From there it was a short hop to the jungle floor, hiding under the thick foliage at the tree's base. Cerberus stopped running and sniffed at the air, confused that it couldn't see it's prey anymore. Its three heads growled softly as it searched the treetops.

__

Now what? Sakura sent as she struggled to quiet her panting breath. She was pressed close to Syaoran's back to keep an eye on their antagonist through the foliage.

__

There has to be a way to stop big, bad and ugly, the warrior reasoned, trying to stay focused on the task at hand and not the warmth of her body pressed against his back. _He has to have some sort of weakness we can use._

Thunder rolled in menace from the approaching storm looming closer to the Li Clan Estate. Cerberus's three heads looked to the clouds with an almost warning growl as if trying to ward them off. He cringed and his menace became even more ferocious when lightning arced across the sky, forcing the beast to take an involuntary step back. The hidden pair did not miss the move. Slow grins spread across their faces at the sight.

__

Well, well, well. So the mutt is afraid of a little lightning, is he? the warrior smirked in satisfaction.

Sakura held up the Thunder Card with a coy grin. _Then let's teach it a few tricks of our own, ne?_

Syaoran looked to the Clow Card, then to Cerberus, then shook his head in negative. _We need something stronger than the Thunder Card and my lightning element. Much stronger._

She paused in thought, then blinked at an idea. _Raiju!_

He looked at her sharply. _Can you summon him?_

Again she had a thoughtful pause. _I'll need your lightning element to give the card enough power to release him._

He nodded, then stared hard at the Hellhound, his body tensing in readiness. _Ready?_

The sorceress crouched, ready to pounce. _Hai._

They waited just long enough for the three heads to be looking off away from them, then dashed out onto the terrace to stand behind the monstrous creature. The duo stood at some distance from each other, each prepared to summon their magic to come to their aid. Again the glowing circle appeared at Sakura's feet as she held up the Clow Card.

"_Thunder Card. Release and dispel._" she began to chant.

Syaoran pointed his sword at the Clow Card she held, trying to get his timing just right for this delicate maneuver.

Sakura tossed the card in front of her. "_Release!_" she called, striking the card's center with practiced ease.

"_Raiden Shorai!_" the warrior/sorcerer shouted, a bolt of lightning erupting from the tip of his sword to connect with the now glowing Clow Card.

The glow grew in intensity, crackling with swirling electricity as both Card Captors pour more and more of their magic into this rare event. Cerberus turned to face the soul mates, growling as it took a sudden step back, unsure about this growing ball of electricity before it.

* * *

The _dark one_ frowned at the scenes he saw in the seeing pool. He struck the stone edge in frustration.

"No, you fool! Attack!" he shouted. "_Now!_"

* * *

The sky suddenly seemed to light up above them as Nature's greatest light show added its own fury and might to the Card Captors' endeavor. The large ball of electricity exploded into blinding white light, forcing everyone's eyes closed to keep from being permanently blinded. When the glare faded a new creature stood there made of pure light and power, energy made manifest.

Raiju had returned.

The two beasts stared each other down like two Alpha males vying for dominance. Both Sakura and Syaoran approached Raiju on either side, wary of its power, knowing he could be just as unpredictable as the lightning that had spawned it. The thunder beast literally crackled with power.

"Raiju!" Sakura commanded of the beast's attention.

Electricity made living turned his head enough to see his Mistress point her wand at the rival beast, a frown of determination on her face.

"Sic him!" she ordered fiercely, her voice even.

He looked again to Cerberus, let loose a terrifying howl, then shot forward at his target with the speed only lightning possessed. The Hellhound never had a chance to move out of the way. Mighty jaws of pure energy clamped down hard of the base of the three sinewy necks with a sickening crunch. Bolt of electricity cascaded all around Raiju's body, penetrating the victim of his bite in merciless waves. Cerberus howled in agony, bucking wildly, trying to rid itself of the magical creature at its collar. Its lashing and jerking brought it dangerously close to the Card Captors. Purely out of instinct and worry for Sakura's safety, Syaoran quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and leapt out of the way of a massive incoming paw. At a safe distance they turned back and continued to watch the battle. Kero suddenly appeared between them, also intent on the fighting creatures.

Syaoran frowned at the Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Where have you been all this time, stuffed animal?"

Kero frowned at him in return. "I've been trying to keep that rabble you call family from interfering here, gaki."

Sakura didn't pay attention to the two, her eyes fixed on the creatures locked in a mortal combat before her. Raiju released his grip from the front of Cerberus's collar, shifting a short leap onto its spiked back. The thunder beast's brilliant white fangs sank into his prey's shared nape with a resounding snap only seconds before a bolt of lightning came crashing down at the master of thunder's bidding. The loud energy bolt had no effect on Raiju, but gave very startling results on the Beast of Tartarus. Flesh and scale seemed to transmute into gleaming black crystal. As Sakura watched she began to notice fissures appearing all over the crystalline surface. It took her a second to realize what was going to happen and it was almost a second too late.

"_Shield Card, release and dispel, release!_" she called in a heated rush.

A transparent bubble surrounded her and her two companions a split second before the solidified beast exploded into a multitude of crystal shards. The force of the explosion reached the three, even within the protective barrier, knocking them to the ground. Recovering moments later they looked up to find Raiju scratching at the rubble as if in search of his foe, then howling to the sky in victory. The Card Mistress recalled the Shield Card and the Jump Card before dashing to the edge of the pile of rubble,

"Raiju!" she called to the thunder beast with a bright smile.

He looked down at his Mistress and his canine-like features seemed to return her smile. With his tongue lolling out on one side he leapt down from the debris to his Mistress, nuzzling his face against her neck affectionately. She laughed at the mighty beast being so gentle and hugged him tight, noticing how carefully he held his energy in check so as not to harm her. He keened happily at the pride and affection his Mistress radiated

"You did really well, Raiju." she praised.

His lightning bolt of a tail wagged joyfully as he stared at her, the semblance of a smile pulling up the corners of his mouth, his tongue lolling out to one side. It gave him an almost comical expression.

"You're an overgrown puppy after you're captured, you know that?" Syaoran accused with a playful chuckle, giving the beast a good scratch behind the ear. "Well fought."

Raiju merely blinked at him, his expression unchanging and his hind leg twitching from the pleasure the scratch gave him.

"Arigatou for your help." Sakura then told the thunder beast. She looked up at the glowing orbs in the air. "You too, Glow. Time to go back now."

The physical representation of the Thunder Card sat on his haunches and waiting patiently to be re-sealed by the Card Mistress. She smiled at him, at the ease he was making this for her. She raised her wand high with one hand.

"_Glow Card, Thunder Card. Return to your powers confined. Glow and Thunder!_" she chanted, her wand connecting to a spot in mid-air.

Raiju and the glowing orbs melted into mist and materialized into a pair of Clow Cards floating in the air. They drifted easily into their owner's waiting hand, unresisting. She smiled at them one last time before looking to her boyfriend and her Guardian both examining the pile of black crystal. Syaoran picked up one of the chunks and frowned at the feeling it gave him. Sakura felt it too thanks to the unique bond they shared. The aura around the piece was dark, cold, a tingling charge around it that felt nothing like the residual change of electricity. It felt very ancient. She moved closer without realizing it, her hand hovering tentatively above the glittering stone in his hand, not yet daring to touch it herself. Fear filled emeralds met protective clear amber.

"What does it mean?" she asked him.

"Trouble."

* * *

The _dark one_ leisurely paced the vast underground chamber, absently staring at the rough floor as he thought about what he had seen. True, he had not intended on killing either of the Card Captors with his little demonstration, he knew they would easily defeat Cerberus, but he had at least hoped to rattle their resolve at finding him enough to seriously slow them down. Instead he seemed to have only inadvertently bolstered it. Now, more then ever, they wanted to find and stop him. But he had also learned a few things about those two along the way.

The _little wolf_, the Li Clan's pride and joy, was indeed a powerful force to be reckoned with. But he had a weakness that was so easy to exploit. His strength came from protecting those he cared about. Those he loved. And there was no one he loved more than the sorceress. It showed in the way he looked at her, in the way that he immediately understood her thoughts without her saying a word.

As for the lovely _cherry blossom_, the _dark one_ learned she was a whole lot stronger than he had originally given her credit for. She had such fire of spirit, such courage when others were in need. She had nerves of steel when determined enough about a situation.

The _dark one_ smiled.

She _was_ perfection. He understood now why Higato Allan was so obsessed with the beauty with a pure heart. The dark-eyed teen returned to the stone rimmed pool and gazed down fondly at the still image of the jade-eyed girl reflected there within its waters.

"A terrible pity you must die, little _cherry blossom_. But you reek of Clow Reed's magic so you must join the Fate of all the others... _after_ we get to know each other better, of course."

Try as he might he couldn't fight the unfamiliar stirrings deep within him, where his heart would have been had he had one. His hand hovered over the image of the innocent faced sorceress, wishing for a single touch of her velvet skin.

"... dear, sweet Sakura..." he breathed ever so softly.

* * *

Rain pattered gently against the clay tiles overhanging Li Syaoran's private balcony late into the night. It was a soothing sound, mixed with the soft rumble of thunder, but still Syaoran felt uneasy. Sleep refused to come. He lay on his oversized bed and just stared at the ceiling, thinking, enjoying the feel of the cool sheets against the skin of his back and arms. It was too warm outside, even with the rain, to wear a shirt to bed. Just the pants seemed to be enough. He had a lot of questions about what had happened earlier on the terrace with the Hellhound, Cerberus. He wondered what the reason had been for this attack. It seemed so senseless yet orchestrated for a specific purpose.

What was that purpose?

The answer was yet unknown. Cerberus had been defeated and Sakura was safe. For the moment that was the most important thing. A smile suddenly touched his lips.

Sakura...

Moments after he had told her the shards of dark quartz meant trouble the ranking members of his Clan had rushed up to them. He would forever remember the adorable look of shock on Sakura's face when his whole Clan, minus Higato and some unknown girl, had kneeled before her in deep respect and some visible fear. Any girl who could control Raiju the Thunder Beast with such ease was definitely a force to be reckoned with. The eldest of the Elders had then declared her to be the one and true Card Mistress and that the Clow Cards were rightly hers. She had looked so bewildered about it all that Syaoran had forgotten himself and laughed. 

Whispers among the crowd reached the Elders on how Higato and the girl were refusing to bow down to the sorceress. A bare hand gesture had called for the attendants to force them to their knees in respect. Higato had growled in protest. Then, when everyone had sufficiently recovered from the sight of Cerberus and the battle, he had leapt to his feet and had re-issued his challenge. The Elders had merely glared at Higato, making him shrink visibly. Once again the Elders had denied him and had then begun to lead everyone back into the pavilion. 

The hours that had followed had been spent recounting all the card captures to date and the cause for Syaoran's mysterious two-month disappearance. The young warrior smiled as he remembered how his Clansmen had blanched and gasped in shock when they had heard he had _died_ due to the Portal Card. He had gone on to explain that in his spirit form he had helped Sakura capture the Death Card since they had discovered they were soul mates. Higato had voice a very loud protest at this statement, but another glare from the Elders and the rest of the Clan had silenced him. 

Syaoran wondered just how much of a humiliation it would take to make Higato back down once and for all. Couldn't he understand that Sakura didn't want him?

Then the Elders had asked the question as to why Syaoran had begun to make inquiries into Mummaro's Gate and it's location. In response Sakura had explained her vision, but the young warrior had felt she had held back on some information. What was she hiding? A long silence had followed her explanation as the Elders had debated among themselves. Then a decision had been rendered on the information they had been given. Every hidden scroll and text containing any kind of reference about Mummaro's Gate would be turned over to the Card Captors for study. Then they had adjourned for the night.

And now here Syaoran was, staring at the ceiling, sleep refusing to come as he mulled the day's events over in his mind.

__

Syaoran? came a gentle voice in his mind.

He looked up at the wall separating his room from that of his beloved partner. _Sakura?_

Her mind seemed to smile for a moment and he marveled at how much stronger their link was becoming. Walls did nothing to block them from each other now. Their aura naturally reacted to each other's presence, reaching out to blend and mix tenderly. Just like it did now. No matter how used he would become to the sensation he would still marvel at it, feeling blessed.

__

Why aren't you sleeping? he sent her in questioning.

__

I could ask you the same thing, she replied almost jokingly. Then she sighed softly. _I was just thinking about things, about the battle._

Same here. That whole battle left a bad taste in my mouth, but I can't figure out why. There was something... I don't know... off about it all.

Like we were supposed to win?

Something like that. More like we were being tested... or more like we were being played with.

Tell me about the black quartz. Why do you think it means trouble?

Mummaro's Gate is supposed to have a series of dark crystal rings controlling the energies gathered over the centuries. I think...Cerberus was a creature made up of those accumulated energies and it was sent by the real_ power behind it all. Whatever is inside the Gate is getting stronger._

There was a sudden silent pause with a flash of fear from her. _Syaoran?_

Hai?

May... May I come over?

A small, unbidden smile touched his lips. _My door is unlocked_, he agreed.

__

I won't be bothering you?

Of course not.

He sat up in bed as he heard the faint sound of her door opening and closing from through the wall. He reclined comfortably against his headboard, taking a deep breath of the thick tropical air hanging in the night, just as his door opened just a crack and Sakura's auburn haired head popped through. Her vivid green eyes seemed to glow with their own light in the dark room.

"You're sure I'm not bothering you?" her soft voice questioned timidly.

He smiled, his gold eyes twinkling brightly. "You could never bother me." and he motioned her further into the room.

She blushed slightly with a shy grin, thankful is was dark enough to hide the shade covering her cheeks, and slowly padded into his room on bare feet, silently closing the door behind her. She had seen him shirtless once before, but the sight of him then was nothing like now, bathed in the dim night, back lit by the occasional flash of distant lightning. The pale pink silk robe she wore seemed to shimmer in the darkness, finding what little light there was and reflecting it. It hugged her curves as she subconsciously tugged the belt knot tighter. Still not quite sure she should be there she sat on the edge of his bed and stared at her hands folded in her lap, her toes playing in the plush carpet. Thunder rolled gently in the distance, overlaid by the patter of rain. He watched her in silence for what seemed endless minutes, taking in every little adorable and beautiful detail about her, wondering what was troubling her to seek him out at this time of night. He figured it was her vision about Mummaro's Gate. An angel such as her should never have to worry about anything in life.

"That vision still have you worried?" he asked her gently.

She blinked, raising her eyes from her hands to a spot on the carpet ahead of her, not yet daring to look at him. It was taking most of her willpower to keep from throwing herself against his chest and never letting go. And who knew where that would lead.

She finally lowered her eyes again. "Sort of." she answered him.

"Sort of?"

Her hands bunched around a fistful of silk. "I haven't let myself have it again. It's a distraction."

"From?"

"From finding the Gate, from everything else I should be concentrating on."

"Then you are worried about it."

"I'm... I'm not really worried about what happens to me, the vision makes that _very_ clear. I'm more worried about what happens after, about what happens to you."

"To me?"

She merely nodded.

"Is that what you were hiding from the Elders, the fact that I'm involved in this and that you didn't know what would happen after... after...?" and he gestured helplessly.

She nodded slowly, biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling, noting how he refused to say she would ever die. His hand gently gripped her shoulder for a moment, a wash of caring concern flooding her senses from his touch, then his hand slid down the length of her arm slowly to take her hand, his fingers braiding with her own. He gave her hand a slight tug to get her to face him. Her eyes stayed fixed on their joined hands before she finally looked up into his gentle and warm eyes. 

"May I see the vision?" he asked ever so gently, almost cautiously. There was no pressure, no demands. This was her choice.

Sakura's eyes stayed locked with his for a moment more, then closed her eyes as she let the vision surface in front of her mind's eye. For the second time in her life she shared her mind with his. She could feel his mind carefully slip into hers and suddenly all outer awareness ceased. There was only the overly warm and pleasant sensation of each other's presence being in so very close contact with each other, their souls brushing along the way. The first time they had joined minds to view a vision both had been hesitant about it, about their feelings for each other. Both were afraid their emotions would show. But now there were none of those frightened barriers they had once put up. Every joyous and loving sensation was laid completely bare for the other to see. It was sheer bliss, the closest they had come to repeating the merging from weeks before, but the moment was not to last. The vision began and all previous feelings ended.

Syaoran paid attention to every tiny detail showed through her eyes in this vision: every archway, every column and pillar, every design drawn on the walls, columns and pillars. Every little thing he saw could be a clue to where the Gate was or, even better, how to stop it. He was seeing through Sakura's eyes as she went through the motions of this vision. She walked through torch lit tunnels from an unknown point of origin until she reached a vast looking chamber. It was exactly as she had described it the first time. A large circular chamber with a high domed ceiling. A round hole was punched through the center of the dome, allowing bright daylight to shine down. Huge, massive stone pillars reached three stories high to support the dome. They were pushed away from the walls to allow for a kind of alcove-like corridor to run the whole circumference of the chamber. The tiles of the floor were arranged in a pentagram within a circle. Symbols in various languages, including Greek, Chinese, and Japanese, were scattered all around the design. This was a symbol of great power, a nexus. And at its center was the altar with the body covered by a white sheet. The vision's Sakura tentatively approached the covered body and drew back the sheet. Sure enough, there was a copy of Syaoran looking very dead, as she had described. He saw her reach forward to touch his double lying there when suddenly the once dead body sprang to life and grabbed her arm. The eyes of his double were completely back.

"Give me you power, little Cherry Blossom." his doppelganger stated in a harsh, hollow sounding voice.

The knife appeared just as she had said. Syaoran heard the rattle of chains and saw his own reflection in the blade. He was somewhere behind the Card Mistress. The knife found the sorceress's heart and all went suddenly dark.

When Sakura's senses returned she realized she was no longer sitting on the edge of Syaoran's bed. Instead she was now nestled in the young warrior's lap, her cheek to his naked shoulder. A faint blush touched her cheeks at his warmth. One of his hands held the back of her head while the other was pressed to the center of her back to keep her pressed close to his bare chest. Her own hands were pressed flat to his skin above his heart, feeling him tremble ever so slightly. It wasn't from cold, she was sure of that, nor was it nervousness. Afterall, he had held her close before, granted not when she had been completely healthy. In fact, the last time he had felt her close to his bare chest this way was shortly after the Death Card's first attack. And they had not been alone then. Now they _were_ alone and both of them were injury free.

She concentrated on the link they shared, bringing it to the forefront of her mind, and plunged her awareness into it in order to learn what was causing him to tremble so. Sakura felt a kind of worry, a deep fear from him, noting how his every sense seemed to be concentrated on her. It was as if he wanted to memorize every aspect of her: the cherry blossom scent that permeated her hair; the velvet feel of her skin; the warmth of her body, and the fluttering of her heart pressed to his chest. It was then that Sakura understood Syaoran's sudden need to keep her so physically close to himself. The vision had shown him that he would be utterly and completely powerless to stop her death this time. He was deathly afraid to lose her just as she was terrified beyond belief to lose him. She now also knew what he would be capable of doing if her vision came true. Her own fears abruptly flared to life and she pressed herself deeper into his protective arms as he held her closer, having felt the fear from her. She couldn't let him do something so drastic, so senseless, even for her.

"Syaoran?" she questioned softly.

"Hai?" His voice was a near whisper.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything you want, just name it." he assured, his arms squeezing her close briefly.

She closed her eyes, hoping he would understand what she was asking of him. "Never give up."

The young warrior paused as he considered her strange request, feeling her fear as her presence drifted pleasantly in his mind. Then he winced as the meaning of her words hit him. He suddenly crushed her close, nuzzling his face into her silky hair.

"Don't ask that of me, Sakura." he pleaded almost desperately next to her ear. "Onegai, that's the one promise I can't even begin to hope to keep."

Sakura felt something deep within him, some sort of barrier, suddenly snap wide open. "Syaoran..."

He was rambling in something akin to desperation. "My life is pointless if I can't see your smile anymore, if I can't hold you. Memories would only kill me. When I told you that you held my life and heart in your hands I meant it. I would die if you couldn't grace this world anymore. I don't want to lose you, Sakura... Ying Fa..." he ended in a hush.

__

Ying Fa? Silently she wondered why that name sounded so familiar.

Something warm and wet touched her cheek.

Tears?

__

His tears?

He was seriously afraid to lose her. And she understood him so well. She too was afraid to lose him, but her dauntless faith in him and his abilities refused to let her believe he would go before she would. He was far too strong. And yet, in all that strength, there was his fear of losing her. Slowly and gently she raised her head from his shoulder and placed her hands at the base of his jaw to get him to look at her. It was heartbreaking sight for the teen sorceress to see her beloved and strong warrior reduced to the semblance of a terrified child losing something or someone cherished. Salty tears sparkled on his cheeks in the dim room. Sakura managed to kneel up slightly, while remaining in his quivering arms, and carefully smoothed his shaggy brown hair away from his eyes.

"Shhh..." she soothed gently and tenderly kissed his forehead. "I won't leave you..." she whispered and kissed the tears away from one of his eyes, feeling the peaceful wash of slight relief flow through him. "Never ever..." she assured and kissed the tears from his other eye, his relief growing in strength. "Aishiteru--"

In a bold move brought about by her tender ministrations, Syaoran lifted his face closer to hers and captured her lips with his own. At first surprised by the move she jerked her face back by an inch and just stared at him in a mild shock. He stared back, his warm tawny eyes both apologetic for his boldness and searching her Spring green orbs for any sign of acceptance or rejection. Her eyes were blank of an answer for a moment, debating over what he had just done. Her lips still tingled pleasantly from the tentative attempt at a kiss. He had kissed her. It hadn't been accidental and there was no way he could have planned this situation. 

A pure, loving, spontaneous kiss. 

A slow smile dawned on her face as brilliant as the rising sun, her arms wrapping around his neck to keep him close. An awed and shaky smile touched his lips at the loving look of acceptance she shone at him. Syaoran allowed his fingers to reach up and trace a soft lock of her hair down the side of her face.

"What god did I please to deserve you, my Ying Fa?" he questioned in a tender whisper, silently wondering if she knew just how seductive she could be.

Her adoring smile seemed to light up the dark room. "I ask myself the same question about you… Xiao Lang."

His eyes lit up in delight at the sound of his true name from her lips. A thousand choirs of angels couldn't have made it sound better than she just had. With newfound confidence he tipped her face to his own and touched his lips to hers, swallowing her quickening breath. Sakura pressed closer to him, body to body, heart to heart, her lips parting with a soft sigh to deepen their first real embrace. Every nerve in her body seemed to fire off at once with sudden and vivid electricity, awakening to his passion arcing back and forth across their mental bond until she wasn't sure it belonged to either Syaoran or herself. She thrilled at the feel of his soft lips against hers and his strong hands caressing her back. He marveled at the suppleness of her curves and her sweet taste on his tongue. The world around them appeared in brief flashes, the latest ones showing them that he had gently lowered her to her back. His heavy warmth pressed her to the mattress as his mouth worked against hers, each engaged in a mutual exploration of mouth and body. A small alarm peeled in the back of Sakura's mind as his hands found the sash of her robe, warning her that this was dangerous if they continued.

She ignored it, not caring about the warning. What would happen would happen if it were meant to be.

Right now she was with the man she loved dearly.

All else didn't matter.

****

To Be Continued...


	16. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 7

DimensionsP16

2 April, 2001

**Ohayo, minna! Gomen nasi, this is another long one, though not quite as long as the one before it. Honto, I do try to make them shorter, demo my "flaw" keeps getting in the way ^_^ Read my bio to know what that flaw is. Gomen for taking so long. Flame me if you must.**

Again, arigatou to Digidynasty for all her hard work beta reading this series for me and giving me alternatives to some of the ideas I came up with. Domo, Imoto ^_^

Card Captors "Dimensions II - Test of Evil" ****

By : The MOUSE............................

Higato Allan stalked the dark and empty halls of the Li Clan's estate, a furious growl issuing from his throat. His plan was ruined. It had been so simple, so perfect. For the Li Clan nothing was more sacred and revered that Fate itself. When one spoke of Fate guiding their path one was always believed. All Higato had to do was explain to the Elders how Fate was working to bring him and the lovely Kinomoto Sakura together. There was no way the Elders could refute the proof he offered. The lovely Japanese girl would have then been his. But his dear Cousin, Li Xiao Lang, had managed to find an even better plan. He had presented the lithe cheerleader to the Elders as the chosen of Keroberus, as the Mistress of the Clow Cards. And to make matters worse he had presented her as his partner and equal. His soul mate. Higato knew what that meant. His Mother's family legends had been drilled into him from the first moment he learned to understand.

If Kinomoto was really the Card Mistress and if she and Xiao Lang were truly the Card Captors, then they fulfilled Clow Reed's prophecy. They were far more than fated to be together.

They were destined.

This made Higato all the more furious, bringing him close to howling. He had been refused this prize yet again. And now the taunts of his many Cousins and the reprimands of his elders haunted his self-tortured mind.

__

You are obsessed...

She'll never want you...

The Card Mistress's path lies with Xiao Lang's, never with yours...

She refused you...

She loves Xiao Lang dearly. It shows...

Don't Li-sama and the lovely sorceress make a handsome couple?

Higato shouted out his frustration, striking a nearby marble column with his fist to help vent some of his fury. It hurt. He smiled at the pain. Pain was good. This was the kind of pain he wanted Xiao Lang to feel in his heart.

__

I deserve lovely Kinomoto so much more than he does, he growled.

__

You certainly do, a hollow sounding voice suddenly agreed in his mind.

Higato spun around in place, his rage rising again that someone had been eavesdropping on his private thoughts. There was no one with him. The halls were completely empty save for him. He blinked a few times in confusion.

__

Don't bother trying to find me, Higato, I am nowhere near right now, the voice informed.

__

Am I going mad?

The voice chuckled. _Not yet._

Who are you?

A friend. Someone who is quite fascinated by your anger and obsessive nature. I would like to help you.

Why?

Again the voice chuckled. _You could say I am the patron saint of the rejected. You want the sorceress, but she rejects you because of the Little Wolf._

Hai.

Then remove the Little Wolf.

Remove?

Permanently.

How do I do that?

Just do exactly as I tell you and you'll receive exactly what you deserve.

* * *

Li Mesuinu screamed with all her might in the privacy of her bedroom in the estate's guest pavilion. A vase shattered against the wall, spilling water and fresh cut flowers in every which direction.

So close.

She had come so close to being rid of the outsider once and for all when Higato had stepped up and issued his challenge. She had been certain that his story about Fate and dreaming about the Card Mistress had been enough to convince the Elders to let him claim the girl. Xiao Lang's heart would have been sufficiently crushed that it would have been so simple for her to step in and comfort him, becoming an instant friend and no doubt a future wife for the action.

But the Elders had denied the challenge.

Then the Hellhound had attacked, making matters even worse. It had been the last shred of proof the Card Captors had offered to the Clan to support all their previous claims.

They worked with each other perfectly.

They understood what needed to be done with barely a word spoken.

The outsider called and used the Clow Cards with the utmost ease.

Through and through, Xiao Lang and the Card Mistress were, truly and definitely, partners.

Another vase went crashing into a wall from Mesuinu's hand. The rumors had already begun to circulate through the estate about the pair, rumors that had the sorceress about to become the one and only woman to stand at Xiao Lang's side as his wife. 

Yet another vase went flying.

Her only comfort was that this news was still only an idle rumor. And rumors could be changed.

__

Are you to be the one to change this rumor? a disembodied voice near mocked.

She whirled around in place, frantically searching for the source of this voice. Fear rose bitterly in her throat like bile. "Who's there? Who said that?"

__

You have nothing to be afraid of, Mesuinu, the voice soothed. _I am a friend._

"How do you know my name?"

The voice seemed to chuckle. _I know quite a bit about you. I know how much you hate the Card Mistress. You want her gone._

"Hai."

__

Permanently.

"Hai!"

__

I can help.

"Why?" she suddenly thought to ask. "Why would you want to help me?"

__

Because you have been rejected. I help all those who have been rejected.

"What do you get out of all this?"

__

The satisfaction of knowing that justice has been rendered for a wrong that was done. All you have to do is follow my instructions to the letter and everything will be perfect.

"Perfect?"

__

Hai. You will receive what you so justly deserve.

Mesuinu had a long pause in consideration. She knew nothing about this spirit, yet it seemed to know an awful lot about her and her wants. He wanted to help her get rid oh her problem, her nemesis. She began to smile. With the Card Mistress out of the way she knew for certain she could easily make Xiao Lang forget the outsider. He wouldn't be able to resist her charms.

"Tell me what I have to do."

Her smile grew wider in twisted pleasure and anticipation as the ghost whispered its plan in her attentive ear.

__

Soon, Xiao Lang, I will make you mine.

* * *

Syaoran just stared into the eyes of his beloved _Cherry Blossom_ as they lay facing each other, his arms encircling her lithe form protectively. Sakura's own gaze matched the intensity of his gaze spark for spark, her eyes watching his soul lain bare behind the unmatchable sunsets that were his eyes. He wasn't afraid to show her his heart or his soul. She was a part of him and they had finally taken the first step to ultimately joining their hearts. Sakura smiled to herself as she remembered a time where his deep gaze would terrify her. There had always been a fierce fire, a ferocious-ness, to his stares.

Not anymore.

Now his gaze only held love and promises for the future. For Syaoran he knew there would never come a day when he would tire of her beautiful eyes. Emeralds of the first water. There was no better way to describe those indescribable eyes. They held such a depth and such innocence that any strong man could drown in their exotic color. He had long ago given up and willingly let himself drown.

Ever so lightly he let his fingers trail down between her shoulders blades down to the small of her back, just to where her slip began. Her eyes closed in bliss, a soft gasp escaping her smiling lips. A pleasant shiver coursed through her body at his touch, causing her to unconsciously arch her back, inadvertently pressing herself close along his full length. His arms tightened around her svelte form as he smiled, then leaned in to gently warm her lips with his own. She leaned in towards him to cause the embrace to deepen and linger. He didn't fight against her, only against his urge to go much further than just a simple kiss.

Sakura clung to her _Little Wolf_, remembering the events of the past hour. She knew if this continued she wouldn't get much sleep this night, but it would be a night forever ingrained into her mind. Their first kiss. It had been heated and passionate, both losing themselves to bottled up emotions. Years of pent up and denied feelings and actions were finally being released in a crashing wave. Somehow along the way Syaoran had rid her of her silk robe and she had giggled breathlessly then at the expressions of awe, wonder and surprise all jousting for dominance on his handsome features. The last, and up until then only, time he had seen her wear this thin and light slip had been back at his apartment in Tomeda when his Mother had insisted she and Tomoyo should spend the night to wait out a vicious snow storm. She knew he wasn't used to seeing so much of her skin, which explained the sudden blushes when they had gone swimming as kids. And this had also been what had stopped them both from going too far, a sudden flash of fear at what they were doing, at the direction they were heading in.

Not yet.

Both had felt the same way about this. It was as yet too soon to commit so completely. They weren't ready for that step just yet. Presently the Card Mistress smiled into the kiss she was sharing with the Li Clan's mightiest sorcerer from a thought that entered her mind.

__

Might not be ready to make love, but making-out is definitely alright, she thought.

Sakura suddenly heard Syaoran laugh inwardly through the strengthening bond they possessed. His form shook slightly as he tried to hold back his chuckle. She pulled back slightly from the embrace to stare at him quizzically.

"What's so funny?"

"Gomen ne." He gently kissed the tip of her nose. "I was eavesdropping."

She blinked, lost for a moment, then began to giggle in understanding. He had heard her thought due to their bond. Neither had yet learned how to shut it off, though neither really wanted to. It was oddly comforting sharing minds in this way. 

"So what do you think about that?" she questioned coyly, referring to her previous thought.

He grinned. "I agree wholeheartedly. The moment we... _commit_ has to be so very special." He cuddled her close and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "You deserve only the absolute best, my Ying Fa." he whispered.

She grinned at him in curiosity, raising one eyebrow in questioning. "Ying Fa?"

He gave her a shivery warm smile as only he could. "It's your name in my language." he replied softly.

She blinked, still grinning, rolling the name over and over in her mind in a form of a test. He picked up on her thoughts and smiled at the adorable innocence it radiated around her.

"Ying Fa..." She smiled brightly, nearly blinding him. "I like it."

Syaoran chuckled. "So do I, but I like the one wearing the name even better." he grinned playfully.

Sakura favored him with a coy smirk. "Only like?"

He smiled seductively as he crushed her close to his chest. "Love..." he amended and kissed her brow.

Her eyes closed in bliss at how gentle he was.

"Adore..." he continued, placing a kiss on one of her closed eyes.

To the Card Mistress the feel of his breath against her face was a mild and pleasant torture.

"Worship..." and he kissed her other eye.

The feel of his lips was a stronger form of pleasurable torture.

"In love with..." he whispered as he kissed her cheek.

Sakura could feel tingling goose bumps race over her flesh.

"Devoted to..." and he lightly kissed the tip of her nose.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She was certain he could feel it.

"Care for..." he breathed against her other cheek, kissing it right after.

An unbidden moan escaped her parted lips. Her skin felt hyper-charged from his touch.

"Fond of..." and his lips grazed her chin.

She gasped blissfully.

"Find irresistible--"

"Syaoran...?" she pleaded, breathless from his tender attention.

"Hai?" he husked against her lips, smiling when he felt her tremble.

"Tojikomeru."

She then quickly cupped his face between her hands and pulled it down to her own to claim his lips in a deep embrace. He willingly succumbed to her insistence, gathering her close in his arms to make the embrace last longer. He pinned her to her back, pressing her into the pillows as he savored the sweet taste of her soft lips. She was a sweet nectar he would never be able to tire of. Sakura had never felt anything quite as comparable to this moment. True, their souls merging had been bliss, but it had been on a more spiritual level. 

Nothing like this. 

This was both spiritual and physical all at once. His gentle touch, his unending kisses, fired off every nerve in her body at once until she felt near mad with euphoria. Their senses were fully alive, on fire, feeling everything around them as if it were the very first time. They could easily feel their auras mixing in an electrical-like tingling along their skin. Their minds intertwined to whisper endless words of love and share in each other's experiences. It got to the point where neither could tell from whom the feelings and wordless thoughts originated from. With their lungs burning desperately for air they parted from the kiss. They just stared at each other for a moment as they panted to regain their breath. Her eyes twinkled with love and mischief in the dark like a pair of sparkling gems, a grin appearing on her glistening lips.

"Wow!" she breathed in a mixture of awe and impishness.

He merely smiled down at her, tenderly and lightly brushing his lips to hers in a teasing embrace. She inhaled a shivery gasp, trying to force a firmer embrace, but he denied it only to continue the light torture. He could hear her mind pleading with him to end the torture, begging him to kiss her. Syaoran smiled and moved his face to nuzzle the base of her jaw, lightly kissing the sensitive hollow behind her ear.

"Syaoran..." she whimpered desperately.

"Shhh..." he soothed in her ear, gently nipping her earlobe. "It's getting late and you had a busy day."

"... I... I'm not tired..." she stuttered breathlessly.

"Still, you should get some rest." he whispered. Then, he pulled back to smile down at her seductively. "There'll be more time for fun after we deal with this whole mess with Mummaro's Gate."

She pouted, her eyes smiling up at him. "You're doing this on purpose."

"And you're stalling. Now sleep." he ordered gently.

"Just a little while longer?" she pleaded adorably.

He resisted with a soft chuckle. "Sleep."

"Mou, Syaoran--"

He placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "Patience, my Ying Fa. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

"Promise?"

He nodded. "On my honor and love for you." he assured.

This seemed to quell any further argument from her, her pout now replaced by a purely loving smile. She snuggled closer to him, her head pillowed in the crook of his shoulder. The young warrior/sorcerer rested his cheek against the top of her head, holding her body close to his own as he wrapped his thin covers around them, their legs intertwining comfortably. Sakura smiled blissfully at the feel of his strong hands tenderly caressing her back and at the sound of his powerful heart beating under her cheek. Her arms tightened around him. Long minutes passed in contented silence.

"Syaoran?" she mumbled as sleep began to grip her senses.

"Hai?" he near yawned, succumbing to his exhaustion.

"Aishiteru." and she fought off sleep just long enough to place a soft kiss in the hollow between his collarbones.

He smiled and gently pressed his lips in a lingering kiss to her brow. "Aishiteru, Sakura." he breathed, then fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

The Life Card smiled warmly, pleased at the scene the Seeing Pool revealed to its glowing eyes. The Card Mistress and the young warrior/sorcerer of Clow Reed's line were a couple now, as Life had so hoped they would become. The words had been spoken and the actions it had seen between the duo had been undeniable. The last time it had seen them they had been devoted to each other, but had still been afraid to express any of their feelings. Now the devotion ran far deeper since all their feelings were laid bare to each other. For now the captive card was content to watch them sleep wrapped tightly in each other's arms. After everything the card had seen and endured, this sight was heartwarming, even if the magical creature had no heart to speak of.

"What are you watching to make you smile so, my dear." the dark one questioned from immediately behind the card.

Life slapped its hand down on the water's surface to destroy the image before its captor could see it. The dark one frowned, more annoyed than angered at the action, and shoved the card away harshly from the pool. 

"Stupid creature. You only delay me. You can't stop me from seeing what you saw."

Li Syaoran's dark double waved a hand over the pool's rippling surface and the waters stilled at the silent command. He peered into the dark depths, his black eyes widening in surprise at the sight. A low growl of growing rage soon followed. There was the lovely Cherry Blossom nestled warmly and comfortably in the arms of the Little Wolf, both fast asleep. They didn't seem to have a care in the world. The air began to crackle with building power as the rage within the dark one grew with each passing second.

"So this is your betrayal, my sorceress." he hissed low

Life looked at him in confusion. 

Betrayal?

"You will regret this, dear Sakura. In the end you will turn to me. I will make sure of it."

* * *

Perched comfortably on one of the bedposts at the foot of the oversized bed, Kero watched the sleeping couple with both interest and slight envy. He had woken up early that morning on Sakura's pillow only to find the bed empty. There had been no immediate sign of her in the room anywhere. Worry had begun to grow in the small creature as he had flown over to the closed bathroom door and listened. There had been no sounds from there. In a panic Kero had flown to the only person he knew would have been able to find the missing sorceress no matter where she was: Li Syaoran. He had flown in through the open balcony doors, ready to shout the warrior awake, and received a shock at the sight, immediately silencing him. Sakura was there, sleeping in the arms of her boyfriend, without a single line of worry on her face. At first Kero had been afraid that the two had done something they shouldn't have, but his fears were squashed by the lack of clothes strewn about the room. They had waited.

There had been a time when the Guardian Beast of the Seal had been the exclusive sleeping companion to the teen Mistress of the Cards. But now it would seem he would have to share that exclusivity. He sighed softly to himself. Sakura was growing up so it was only natural that she sought different company than the likes of a diminutive magical creature. She wanted someone to hold her, someone she felt impossibly safe with. As much as he didn't like the Chinese warrior/sorcerer, Kero knew that Clow Reed's descendant would never do anything to hurt Sakura, that he would always protect her with his life. Truth be known, after five years, Kero was starting to find that Syaoran was growing on him, despite the annoying name-calling. The whole fact that he hadn't taken advantage of the sleeping sorceress once made his respect for the warrior rise another notch.

Kero shifted his vision to a far less visible spectrum and noticed how their auras blended and wrapped around each other so perfectly and so completely until it was hard to tell the colors apart. Syaoran moved slightly, inhaling a deep breath of Sakura's sweet scent as he woke. His arms tightened around her with a smile, his lips finding her brow to leave a kiss there. A smile appeared on Sakura's lips as the tiniest sound of appreciation escaped her throat. She snuggled herself closer to her boyfriend, her face nuzzled against the base of his jaw. Kero had to smile at how adorable they both looked this way. After roughly a minute Sakura suddenly began to giggle softly at something.

"We have a watcher." she half whispered, half giggled to Syaoran.

He near growled. "I know. I was kind of hoping the _stuffed animal_ would leave." Deep amber eyes opened and glared at the watching Kero. "Anyone tell you it's not polite to stare?"

Kero frowned. "Anyone tell you it's not polite to name-call?" the magical creature countered.

Sakura giggled at them both and opened her eyes to the world. "Good morning to you too, Kero." she greeted.

"Tell me one thing."

"Nani?"

"Why are you sleeping here in the gaki's bed instead of your own bed?" Kero demanded testily as the duo sat up groggily against the bed's headboard.

"... I... um... didn't originally intend to spend the night." she answered with a shy blush. "I... I needed to talk... about the battle last night and the meaning of the black quartz. I wanted to know why you both thought it meant trouble. You were asleep, Kero, I didn't want to wake you. I knew Syaoran was still awake so I came here."

The tiny Guardian Beast of the Seal flew over to his Mistress to land on her knee, a remorseful expression on his toy-like face. "Sorry I'm not being more help about Mummaro's Gate and all."

She smiled. "It's okay, Kero. Clow Reed couldn't have told you everything he knew. He was bound to have left things out."

"I still feel I should be doing--"

All three of them stiffened abruptly as their magical senses screamed to life. Somewhere on the estate, very nearby, were two very distinct and familiar senses of powerful magic. Kero hovered in the air, on the defensive of his Mistress, frowning in the general direction the feeling was coming from.

"Clow Cards." he hissed. "I was wondering how long it would take them to show up." and he flew over to the balcony's open door.

The Card Captors leapt out of the bed and followed him, their sharp eyes scanning the mist covered terraces below for any sign of the mysterious Clow Cards. As yet there was no sign of them, but they could still feel their presence seeming to radiate from everywhere at once. The rising sun warmed the tropical island causing thick banks of mist to hide everything from sight. No amount of squinting could help them see through the fog. A single concentrated thought from the warrior/sorcerer was all it took to transform the spherical onyx pendant at his throat into the Li Clan's Clow sword.

"_O Key of Clow,_

Power of Magic, power of Light,

Surrender the Wand,

The Force ignite!

Release!"

At the teen sorceress's chanting call the small key she wore at her throat transformed into the Clow Sealing wand.

"Where are they?" Sakura questioned herself aloud.

In answer to her almost silent question the ground began to shake and rattle violently. They could hear the sound of grinding stone and rumbling earth mere seconds before large, column-like mounds erupted from the ground, thrusting skyward. The Mistress of the Cards blinked in surprise, then frowned in determination. This card was relatively easy to name.

"The Earthy Card." she voiced.

"That's one. So where's the other one?" Syaoran wondered.

The thick mist abruptly lifted as the air's temperature rose drastically. The Card Captors braced themselves, ready for any and all impending attacks. That was when they finally caught sight of it: the second rogue Clow Card. It was just as ethereal as any of the other cards. It was a flaming being on a pillar of fire, a pair of flaming wings sprouting from its back.

"The Fiery Card." Sakura suddenly blinked and looked to Kero. "Two elements at once? I didn't think that was possible."

"They're ignoring each other, otherwise they would attack each other." Syaoran explained instead. "Fiery and Earthy can't really do much to hurt each other."

"But they can cause an awful lot of damage to everything around them." Kero pointed out as the Fiery Card started a fire in one of the estate's pavilions.

"The guest pavilion!" the warrior cried out.

Sakura's frown deepened in growing determination. "No time to change. _Jump Card! Release and dispel! Release!_" she commanded, a tiny pair of wings appearing at her ankles. "I'll distract the cards, you get those people out of there."

With a curt nod from Syaoran both teens leapt from the balcony to a rooftop several meters below with the Guardian Beast of the Seal hanging on to his Mistress's shoulder for dear life. That was where the teens parted company. The young warrior continued on to the guest pavilion to warn those inside to get out, while Sakura headed for the Clow Cards with Kero. Syaoran risked a glance at his girlfriend. No sooner did the cards see her did they start to chase after her. The Li Clan's future leader grit his teeth in worry at the sight and ran across the pavilion's roof to the large gong on the other side of the building.

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Be safe, my Cherry Blossom, he thought.

__

Always, my Little Wolf, came her gentle reply.

Slightly reassured Syaoran leapt off the roof and swung his sword at the mighty bronze disk hanging there. Its deep resonance reverberated to the far reaches of the island, bringing all the sleepers on the estate slowly out of their drowsy humors. Syaoran ignored the burning fire and billowing smoke and rushed into the building, pounding on closed doors as he went.

"Fire! Everybody out! Move, move!" he shouted as his groggy relatives began to appear in the corridor. "Out! Move it! Fire! Get out, now!" and he shoved his family members towards the door in all urgency.

He barely noticed Allan stalking towards him, ticked off at being awakened so early. He grabbed Syaoran's arm in a vice grip, forcefully turning him around to face him.

"Just what the Hell to you think you're doing?" he demanded of the warrior/sorcerer.

Syaoran wrenched his arm free with a harsh glare at his Cousin. "I'm saving your life, even if you don't deserve it! If you haven't noticed, the building's on fire!"

His anger at his Cousin having snapped him completely awake, Allan looked around and began to notice the thick smoke collecting near the ceiling. He was going to ask his Cousin why there was even a fire to begin with when he noticed him looking off to one side vacantly, worry on his face.

"Sakura..." the warrior breathed in concern.

Allan gripped his arm again as Syaoran began to turn away. "What about Sakura? Where is she?" he demanded to know, anxiety in his voice.

Syaoran didn't answer, merely tore his arm out of Higato Allan's grip and ran outside. Wondering why he was suddenly so concerned for the Card Mistress, Allan followed close behind him. The estate's entire population was now gathered outside, most of the attendants working to put out the fires started by the Fiery Card. The young warrior pushed his way through the stunned crowd to where the battle was taking place, his Cousin right behind him. Once at the front of the crowd Syaoran assessed the battle in the blink of an eye. Sakura was severely outnumbered by these two element cards, but she was putting up a valiant resistance. No matter what the Earthy Card did she would always land on her feet and she dodged the Fiery's attacks with the grace of a dancer. His split second assessment done, Syaoran rushed towards the battle to help even up the odds. The Fiery Card had its back to him and didn't see him approach.

"_Now! Element! Water!_" he called, the flat of his sword striking the center of a strip of paper on which a spell was written.

The card barely had a chance to turn around before a blast of elemental magic hit it full force. The water sizzled and steamed away on contact with the card's flaming body, but it did draw its attention away from the tiring Card Mistress. Sakura smiled in gratitude to her beloved _Little Wolf_.

__

As always, your timing is impeccable, she sent him gratefully.

__

Seal the Earthy. I'll keep this one busy.

With a nod she turned her attention to the moving column of earth and stone, its movements causing the ground to shake and gaping chasms to open up. Sakura managed to stay standing despite it all, avoiding this card's slow attacks with ease thanks to the Jump Card.

"Kero! You wanted to be of more help! This is as good a time as any to start!" she called to her tiny Guardian Beast.

He flew over to her shoulder, managing to stay as she weaved and dodged the card's attacks. "Earthy is a tricky card to capture. Attack cards won't work on it."

Sakura leapt out of the way of another attack, this one in the form of a giant serpent made of dirt and stone, and took the precious few seconds she had to take in her present situation. Syaoran was holding his own against the Fiery, using his elements of wind and water in combination with the Freeze Card he possessed to keep it occupied and on the constant defensive until Sakura was ready to capture it. His Clansmen were bravely fighting the fires that had been started. And Earthy was tearing huge gashes in the terraces. Then something caught Sakura's eye.

Everything on the estate was being damaged in some way...

... except for the trees!

__

Why not the trees? she questioned herself. _Trees grow in earth... they need it... roots dig deep into the earth-- Roots!_

She skidded to a stop and faced the card in sudden defiance. Kero gaped in confusion. "What're you doing? Keep running!" he urged.

"It's okay, Kero." she answered in all confidence. "I know which card to use."

"Nani?"

A glowing circle of patterns and symbols appeared at her feet as she held both a Clow Card and her wand at ready. "_Wood Card! Release and dispel!_" She threw the card out before her and struck it dead center with her wand. "_Release!_"

At her call the card transformed into a multitude of twisting branches all reaching out towards the serpent of dirt that was Earthy. The leafy appendages wrapped themselves quickly around the creature in a constricting hold, effectively stopping all movements from it. The Card Mistress allowed herself a small triumphant smile as she raised her wand again.

"_Wood Card! Earthy Card! Return to you powers confined! Wood and Earthy!_"

The Clow Cards began to glow for a moment before transforming into misty tendrils. These tendrils, as if pulled by an invisible force, raced to a glowing rectangle hovering almost patiently under the point of Sakura's sealing wand. No sooner did they completely form into the Tarot-like cards did Sakura grab them and turn her full attention to her boyfriend fighting off the Fiery. That battle had suddenly turned bad for the warrior. The remaining card's aim was getting better, its strikes now barely missing Syaoran.

"Kero! Options?" the sorceress questioned quickly, beginning to feel her exhaustion from capturing Earthy, her breath becoming labored.

"No matter which card you use against it, Fiery can use it to make itself stronger."

"What if I use more than one? Two cards?"

"Two cards at once? It's never been done before!"

"I have to try!"

"You're too tired!"

Sakura saw Syaoran barely dodge another blast of fire, feeling him tire from this battle. "I don't have a choice!" 

The glowing circle appeared again as she readied her wand and two new cards. Her limbs were beginning to feel like lead, her lungs beginning to feel constricted. The circle at her feet wavered, then vanished as her strength left her. 

__

Kami-sama, help me! she wailed inwardly. _I can't help him!_

Use my strength! she heard her beloved warrior's voice echo in her mind.

She looked at him and found him still concentrated on evading and distracting the card before him. Time seemed to suddenly slow, all actions going in slow motion. He back flipped away from the card to give himself some breathing room and turned his amber eyes in Sakura's direction. But instead of the gold she had expected to see his eyes shone a fierce white. The sorceress blinked once and felt her gaze lock tightly with his. Something powerful was building on the edge of their bond, preparing to arc towards her.

__

Use my strength! she heard him repeat once more and she heard something strange hovering in the background of his voice.

It was familiar. She closed her eyes and concentrated her whole being to lock onto his strength. She didn't know how she knew this was the right course of action. She didn't even know if this would work. All she knew was that something within her was guiding her to do what she had to. A surge of what felt like fire and electricity fired off within her. She became aware of everything living around her, life and magic alike. It felt as if she was in two places at once. She re-opened her eyes and suddenly understood what was happening. Their connection, their growing bond was enabling them to perform a kind of merge from a distance. She lacked a proper term to describe the sensation. She smiled as she felt her soul mate's strength fill her. The magical circle re-appeared at her feet, glowing brighter than ever, as she once again readied the cards and wand.

"_Windy Card! Water Card! Release and dispel!_" With both cards overlapping each other she threw them out in front of her, striking them both at once with her wand. "_Release!_"

From the cards erupted two magical beings, flying back-to-back directly at the Fiery Card. Their target turned slightly, sensing their approach, but when it noticed them it was already too late. Windy and Water altered their own forms while in flight, becoming as ropes to bind and weaken their fellow card. No matter how hard Fiery fought and struggled against them it couldn't break free until, finally weakened, it collapsed to the ground in a steaming heap. Lightheaded from the exhaustion brought on by using so many Clow Cards at once, Sakura stumbled imperceivably as she moved closer to the defeated elemental. She could feel the light connection with the warrior fading. Syaoran's strength had also weakened from helping her. Sharing strength was a drain on his reserves, but he fought it off to keep it from outwardly showing. Her vision blurred slightly as she panted, but she cleared it with a shake of her head. Now was not the time to weaken. Now was the time to call all these cards back. She raised her wand high with trembling arms.

"_Windy Card! Water Card! Fiery Card! Jump Card! Return to your powers confined! Windy, Water, Fiery, and Jump!_"

All four cards obeyed her call without resistance or hesitation, seeing to disappear together into the one glowing rectangle at the wand's point. The shape shimmered for a moment more before splitting into four individual cards. They flew into Sakura's waiting hand, acknowledging her as their one and only Mistress and controller. She smiled at them in thanks, heaving a deep sigh in relief that this battle was now over. Her exhaustion finally won the better of her and she toppled over. Syaoran rushed over and caught her just in time, breaking her fall in arms that suddenly felt like lead. He gently eased her to her knees to the ground and cradled her comfortably in his arms as she struggled for breath. They clung to each other as they rested, willing whatever strength they had left to manifest itself.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" he asked her gently, stroking her hair.

She nodded shakily, resting her cheek to his chest. "… Just… so many… at once…" she panted. "… Give… me a… second… Did… did we… merge…?" 

"I…" 

He paused. 

Had they merged? No, there would have been pain. 

What had pushed him to tell her to use his strength? 

How had he known it would work? It was if something had guided his actions at that moment, something ancient, older than time itself.

"I don't think so. I don't know what happened." he finally admitted.

She nodded, wanting to understand what had just happened but knowing they would probably never get the answer. Then, as if remembering something, "Where's Kero?"

The warrior looked up from his beloved to find her tiny Guardian Beast of the Seal and froze at what he did see. "By the Great Dragon…"

Sakura looked to where his eyes were fixed and gasped in shock at the sight. Kero was floating in midair on his back, just hovering limply, the symbol of Clow's magic appearing beneath him. No one dared approach, too stunned by this sudden turn of events. As everyone watched his tiny wings grew to an immense size and wrapped around the Guardian Beast, completely obscuring him from sight. The wings began to glow and scintillating white, forcing everyone's eyes away for the moment. When the blinding brilliance faded the most amazing sight was revealed for all to see. A large winged lion now stood there, a red jeweled metal harness covering the back of its neck and its breast, and a red jeweled headpiece covering his head. The creature was magnificent and radiated with magic. His deep gold and pale yellow fur seemed to glisten like new, his long tuft tail swinging back and forth languidly. Its wise golden eyes regarded the gaping Card Captors before suddenly chuckling, walking towards them.

"Close your mouths before you swallow something you might regret." the beast told them in a deep and gentle voice.

Their mouths snapped shut in shock.

Sakura blinked, still stunned. "Kero…?"

"Hai." Keroberus answered casually. "I told you a long while back, Sakura. As soon as all the elementals were sealed I would regain my true form."

"Hai, I remember. I… I just didn't think you would be so… so…" she spluttered.

"So impressive." Syaoran finished for her.

"Hai." she agreed with a slow nod.

Keroberus smiled in pride at the praise, then looked at his Mistress in worry. "You took a big risk tapping six cards at once. You're sure you're okay?"

She smiled in reassurance. "Hai, I'll be alright." She reached out a tentative hand and touched his cold, wet nose as if to test if this was really real. "This is just going to take quite a bit of getting used to."

"This is so kawaii!" Tomoyo's voice squealed from off to the side. Camera in hand she, Meilin and Lerae came racing up to the trio. "I got it all on tape, every wonderful second of Card Mistress Sakura and Card Captor Li battling the elements." Daidouji had stars in her eyes as she clutched her camera preciously. "I think I'll call this one _Battles and Revelations_."

Meilin tentatively approached Keroberus and circled around the massive beast to take him in from all angles, Tomoyo training her camera on them both to capture the moment as well. "I knew the Guardian Beast of the Seal was supposed to look really incredible, but I sure wasn't expecting anything like this. You're huge!"

The magical lion arched an eyebrow at her, slightly surprised at the compliment from the _she-brat_, then returned his attention to his Mistress. Syaoran had carefully helped her back to her feet and was now wrapping her up in a robe his Mother had brought them. Casting a quick glance to the crowd the Guardian saw it was an excellent idea to hide the sorceress's lithe form from sight. Higato Allan was frozen in place, had been since he had laid eyes on Sakura, and was practically drooling over her due to what she was barely wearing. Keroberus stepped into the teen's line of sight and hissed at him in a clear menace and warning. Allan backed away from the creature by a step, afraid of what this beast was capable of doing now in this form.

"Kero, what is it?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Hm?" He turned to her and smiled innocently. "Oh, nothing. I'm just calming someone's raging hormones."

She understood and stifled a giggle. "I _almost_ feel sorry for him now. With both you, like this, and Li watching over Sakura, Allan might as well give up."

Meilin shook her head in a negative. "He won't. He has Li blood in his veins and one thing our Clan is known for is our determination in the face of adversity."

"Or is that stubbornness?" Keroberus quipped.

She glared at him, shaking a menacing fist in his face. "Don't start, cotton fluff."

He looked unconcerned by the threat. "Or you'll do what, _she-brat_?" he countered with a small grin.

"Kero!" Sakura admonished, making him wince slightly. "Dealing with those cards was more than enough fighting for today, don't you think?"

He bowed his head to the young sorceress in apology and was rewarded by a tight hug of appreciation and thanks from her. Keroberus couldn't stop the pleased purr that rumbled in his throat from her action. She giggled in response to it and scratched him behind the ear affectionately.

Lerae bowed slightly to Sakura at this point. "Card Mistress, perhaps you should get dressed now. The attendants have the fire well under control now. I will have breakfast prepared in the main hall--"

"Actually, Ma-Ma…" Syaoran interrupted, casting a quick glance to his girlfriend.

The sorceress blinked, suddenly understanding. _The studies on the Gate, right?_ she questioned mentally.

__

Hai. Then, when she nodded, "Could you have something brought to the library? We'd like to start researching the Gate's location right away."

Li Lerae paused as she looked at the two Card Captors before her. She had felt the subtle connection between them, a very slight touch of something far stronger than any magic she had ever encountered. And it ran far deeper as well.

Finally she nodded to her Son's request. "I will have it brought to you after you have changed."

Sakura smiled and bowed slightly. "Arigatou, Li-san."

But before the sorceress had a chance to fully straighten again, both Tomoyo and Meilin each hooked one of her arms and began quickly dragging her back towards the estate's main building, leaving a stunned Syaoran and Keroberus behind. All the two males heard as the girls left was Tomoyo ranting about some perfect outfit she had for the Card Mistress and a groan of apprehension from Sakura as he two friends giggled giddily in some form of delight. Blinking repeatedly in surprise Keroberus looked to Syaoran who was rubbing the back of his neck, still partly stunned at how fast the three had disappeared.

"Kind of makes you glad to not be a girl, ne?" the lion voiced.

"Nani?"

"Means we're not likely to be Tomoyo's fashion targets." he grinned.

Syaoran looked at him strangely for a moment, then groaned as he slapped the beast's shoulder and began to walk away. Keroberus chuckled and jogged a few steps to catch up to the warrior and walk at his shoulder.

"Given time, though, she will start designing for us too." the golden Guardian added to his previous comment.

"Hopefully she won't. You do know you're locked out of Sakura's room now." the sorcerer voiced to his ancestor's creation.

"No doubt." he sighed. "I'll just wait outside for whoever comes out first."

"Won't be any of the girls. Tomoyo is in her designer mode right now. They be an hour at the very least and you know it."

"Hai. It's a disease, I think."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because your _she-brat_ of a Cousin seems to have caught it too." he grinned toothily.

Syaoran sighed heavily. "As if one wasn't bad enough."

"Just you hope she doesn't infect your Sisters with this too or you'll never see the end of it,… gaki." he smirked.

He raised an eyebrow at him, a tiny quirk turning up one corner of his mouth. "Parish the thought,… cotton ball."

* * *

Mesuinu watched Xiao Lang walk off in the company of the Guardian Beast of the Seal. A thrill raced up her spine as the memory of several minutes earlier passed before her mind's eye. The sorcerer had looked regally majestic standing bare chested and bare foot amid the chaos the fire had caused. He had kept his cool, ordering his relatives to evacuate the burning building. A natural born leader. Mesuinu had been sorely tempted to fake an injury to gain his attention and have a chance to get close to him, but Higato had ruined the moment by confronting the warrior. Then Xiao Lang had run off with a look of worry on his handsome face. Higato was only a step behind him and Mesuinu was a step behind Higato. Outside had been the reason for the fire and Xiao Lang's worry. Two creatures, one made of fire and the other of earth, had been battling with the outsider. How the warrior had known the Card Mistress needed help was still a mystery. Mesuinu had watched the battle avidly, noting how each time the outsider seemed to be about to need some assistance Higato was ready to jump into the fray. But his attempts were always a split second too late. Xiao Lang was there just before him to lend a hand. And then, the battle over, the Card Mistress had collapsed in exhaustion, caught in the warrior's arms before she hit the ground. Mesuinu growled to herself as the outsider was tended to and then led away by her friends.

"The weak little baka." she muttered. "She collapses after such an easy battle. I could've done so much better than her."

"Do not be so quick to judge someone or something you know nothing of, Mesuinu." Li-san stated, abruptly appearing at the girl's side.

Mesuinu jumped, startled, and faced the Clan's matriarch. "This isn't right, Li-san." she began in complaint.

"How so?"

"Card Mistress or not, she is an outsider. Our laws are clear on this. Xiao Lang's interest in her is so very wrong."

Lerae remained passive. "It is?"

"Hai!"

"Who would you rather he show an interest in? You?"

Mesuinu was silent for a moment, blushing furiously and standing tall. "She is weak, Li-san. Xiao Lang deserve someone strong."

Lerae's lips thinned at this. "Ah, I see. Mesuinu, you were chosen, by the Elders, as one of the most promising candidates in our Clan for Xiao Lang to chose from for a wife. You _were_ the strongest. But this was before any of us knew or learned of the existence of the Card Mistress. She is far stronger than she appears."

"But she is an outsider!"

"Who possesses Clow magic. This makes her of the Clan. Xiao Lang has made his choice in this matter very clear by his actions last evening, Mesuinu. Accept it." and Lerae walked off towards the estate's main building.

The teen girl balled her fists at her sides, her svelte frame trembling in fury. _I'll never accept it!_ she fumed. _Not so long as I have a breath left in my body. I will not be denied._

* * *

With his wings magically hidden from sight, Keroberus paced back and forth like a caged animal, his anxiety growing over the prolonged absence of his Mistress and her friends. A keening growl rumbled in his mighty chest as he turned and continued pacing in a new direction. He hated waiting, especially when he could feel danger so near to the Card Mistress. There was something about this island estate that just felt so wrong now. It was different from so many centuries ago. True, back then the feel of dark magic had been present, but had been very tiny. Almost like a small buzzing in the back of one's mind. Nothing like now. Now, it was a lot stronger. Syaoran looked up from an ancient tome he was skimming through and watched the Guardian Beast for a moment. Every so often he would see him pause to look in the direction of the closed library door, then continue his relentless pacing when no one entered. The young warrior/sorcerer couldn't stop his chuckle in amusement.

"What's so funny, gaki?" Keroberus demanded with a frown, continuing to pace.

"You are. And you call me impatient. You're going to wear a hole in the floor of you keep that up."

The beast turned again to continue his worried march. "I can't see how you can be so calm right now."

"Because I have no reason to be worried."

"You should be." he growled. "What's taking them so long? Something must've happened. I should've stayed back there to wait for them. That Higato guy might have hurt them and kidnapped Sakura."

Syaoran chuckled again. "Would you listen to yourself! You're worried over nothing. They're fine."

He stopped and faced him. "How can you be so sure?"

The warrior grinned and looked at the door. "Five… Four… Three… Two…" He leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed confidently over his chest. "One."

As if by magic the library door opened and in walked the three teen girls they had been waiting for. Keroberus sighed heavily in relief at seeing them all safe and unharmed. Tomoyo, dressed in a short light purple tunic decorated in white orange blossoms and white shin pants, walked backwards to better record both Meilin and Sakura's entrance into the library. Both girls also wore tunics and shin pants like Tomoyo's, only the tunic colors were different. Meilin's tunic was sky blue decorated in white peonies while Sakura's was a flattering rose with cherry blossoms. Everything was kept simple, yet radiated a subtle elegance that only the Daidouji teen could capture in her designs.

Keroberus smirked. "Gone native in your thinking, Tomoyo?"

The videographer smiled brightly. "To be able to capture my Sakura as a China doll, of course! And it makes all three of us look like Sisters."

"Very nice." he agreed.

Syaoran felt his mouth begin to hang open, his eyes fixed solely on his beloved sorceress as he stood slowly. Sakura smothered her smirk at how completely awed and stunned he looked, noting how regal he seemed in sand colored slacks and sea green, short sleeved shirt.

__

Do wolves drool? she questioned coyly as she walked up to him.

His mouth immediately snapped shut, then a slow grin appeared on his lips. _Wolves only drool when they see something very appetizing in front of them._

He felt her momentary confusion at his response, then her hand shot up to her mouth to cover her surprised reaction, a deep bashful blush covering her cheeks. Syaoran chuckled softly and drew Sakura into his arms, holding her close in a tender greeting. He gently nuzzled her ear. 

"You are beautiful." he whispered warmly.

She giggled faintly and pressed deeper into his arms. "Xiao Lang…" she murmured, her hands lightly smoothing the fabric of his shirt over the planes of his chest. 

"Alright, you two, break it up!" Meilin suddenly ordered, physically pulling the Card Captors apart and receiving a growl from Tomoyo who was video taping the scene. "We have work to do right now. You can be all lovey-dovey with each other later."

The amethyst-eyed teen looked at the table in the center of the open space and blinked at the high piles of tomes and scrolls laid out upon it. "Is this everything we have to go through?"

Syaoran sighed heavily, partly for having to let Sakura leave his arms. "This is _most_ of what the Elders asked for last night. The rest should arrive a little later. And there's the entire library to go through as well."

"Everything?"

"Hai."

Sakura squared her shoulders in determination and picked up a tome at random. "Let's get to it then."

* * *

The _dark one_ carefully peered into the waters of the Seeing Pool, scrutinizing the images it revealed to him with avid interest. The Card Captors and their friends were not plotting revenge or an attack as he had first thought they would. That was something he would have understood. Instead they had sequestered themselves away in the Li Clan's library reading ancient scrolls and books for several hours now, searching for something as yet undetermined by the watcher.

"What are you and your friends up to, my lovely _Cherry Blossom_?" he questioned himself softly.

With the barest twitch of his hand the moving images shifted to the book Sakura carefully pulled off of a shelf. The symbol of Clow was neatly carved into its leather cover.

"Researching magic with which to fight me, my dearest?"

Sakura opened the book and began skimming through the Japanese and Chinese magic characters neatly inked across each page. She sighed in frustration, replaced this tome back on the shelf, and chose a different book, a much thicker one, baring the same mark on its cover as the first. The _dark one_ suddenly smiled in understanding.

"Ah, you're trying to find me. Good. I grow tired of watching you at a distance. I am so much closer to you than you think, dear one."

She opened the leather bound book and he saw her blink at the Latin words written on the pages. The _dark one_ smiled softly, carefully stroking her cheek reflected on the water's surface.

"Find me, My Love." he whispered.

* * *

__

Find me, My Love.

A frigid phantom hand brushed the young sorceress's cheek, making her cry out in surprise and fear, and dropping the heavy book she held. She took a quick step back, confused, hitting her back hard to the bookcase as her hand gingerly touched her cheek. All she could do was stare emptily at the floor in terror. Something real had touched her. Something cold, dark, so evil, and yet it had also felt so familiar. Her entire body trembled in growing shock. The feeling she was left with was as if someone had slapped her for no apparent reason. No one had told her she would ever experience something such as this.

"Sakura!"

Her head snapped up and to her right just as a very concerned Syaoran came around the corner to stand at her side, peering anxiously at her frightened face. Keroberus was there as well, keening softly in worry, afraid at his Mistress's sudden outcry and present demeanor. She looked as if she had been terrorized by something now invisible. Syaoran gently cupped the sorceress's face in his hands. That, alone, seemed to calm her fears.

"What happened?" the warrior questioned ever so gently.

Tomoyo and Meilin appeared around the corner just as the lithe cheerleader collected herself enough to speak.

"… I… I felt something… It was cold, dark… It… It touched my cheek…" 

She could feel the sudden flash of protective rage explode within her beloved warrior and she gripped his wrists to keep his hands against her cheeks to both calm him and restrain him. He understood the move, knowing there wasn't a target yet for him to focus on so anger right then was useless. His thumbs gliding over her cheeks as he wrapped his aura around her like a protective shell. Her green eyes smiled at him in thanks and relief, deciding it was for the best to omit the whisper she had heard accompanying the touch.

"Are you okay?" Meilin questioned her friend.

Sakura nodded shakily. "H-Hai. It just spooked me, that's all. Gomen."

Keroberus shook his head in negative. "Don't apologize for this, Sakura. It's hardly your fault. The power of the Gate is getting stronger and this is just one more proof. Whatever is in there doing all this seems to be taunting you. It's confident. That's a bad sign. We have to find Clow-sama's notes."

She paused for a second. "He wrote all his personal notes in Latin, right, Kero?"

"Hai."

"I found this one just before the, um, _incident_." She quickly picked up the book she had dropped and opened it for Keroberus to see. "Like this?"

His golden eyes skimmed over the pages and seemed to light up suddenly. "I think this is it! There's something written here about _an amazing place filled with magic_."

Syaoran blinked. "You can read Latin?"

"Of course! Clow-sama taught it to me way back when." He took the book from his present Mistress and quickly skimmed over a few pages. "Mm, this will take a while to read. Lots of entries here."

"In that case I have a suggestion." They all looked to Tomoyo in curiosity of her statement. "We've been cooped up in here for close to six hours now. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the air is getting kind of stale in here."

Syaoran nodded in agreement. "We'd be more comfortable outside while we wait for the oversized cotton ball to find the right entry."

The Guardian Beast of the Seal frowned at him. "Why am I the one suddenly stuck doing all the research now, gaki?"

"Because you're the only one out of all of us who can read this without the constant use of a Latin Dictionary."

"Oh." he grumbled.

Sakura suddenly shivered and instinctively hugged her own sides. _Maybe I can warm up outside_, she wondered to herself.

__

You're cold? she heard her beloved partner ask her mentally.

She met his concerned wolf eyes. _A little bit cold. That encounter was frigid, bone-chilling even._

Syaoran draped an arm around her shoulders to tug her close to his side, placing a gentle kiss on her temple in the process. She gratefully nuzzled against his side, her arms around his waist to keep his close, as they followed the others out of the library to a small private sitting terrace just across the hallway. The noonday tropical sun beat down comfortably on the secluded area, welcoming the five with a gentle breeze. Keroberus settled himself on one of the skirting walls and began to read the ancient tome from the very beginning while the others relaxed into various padded wicker settees, the soul mates of course sharing one to stay close to one another. They all agreed that this break from the library's stuffy atmosphere was a very welcome distraction. Sakura nestled herself against her boyfriend's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, letting it lull her back into a state of pure security and warmth.

"I remember Li-san saying that we would be schooled by your private tutors." she voiced softly.

"That's tomorrow. Mother wanted us all to have the weekend to get used to being here and to get used to the rest of the family."

"And what a huge family it is." Tomoyo let her head droop back to take full advantage of the warm sunlight. She sighed a small grin. "You know, Li, your family history would make a really epic movie."

Meilin chuckled. "But under which genre? Historical documentary or pure fantasy?"

"Either would fit. Not that your Clan Elders would ever allow it." she ended in a grumble.

Syaoran grimaced ever so slightly at the mention of the Elders. "The trapped themselves in three hundred or so years of tradition. They're afraid of change because of what it might do to their status within the Clan. Bringing them into the present is slow since they begrudge every tiny change someone proposes."

"But you'll soon change that, ne?" the Daidouji teen smirked.

"Hai, but gradually. No use rushing into the future when you're just as unsure as they are about the consequences." He looked down at Sakura resting comfortable against his chest and smiled when her jade eyes met his, his fingers lightly trailing up her spine. "Besides, the present is oh so very appealing."

She blushed a pleasant shiver and returned his smile shyly.

Meilin looked to the reading Guardian Beast. "What about the past?"

Keroberus held up a clawed paw, silently signaling them to wait another moment, and turned another page. "I think… Hai, I think this is what we're looking for."

"Well, don't keep up in suspense, Kero." Tomoyo urged.

"Hai, hai, just a second." He cleared his throat theatrically. 

_

> "Due to my recent travels this is the first time I have been able to find a moment to write my thoughts. The last few days have been filled with wonders and visions that leave a man in awe in their presence. I have spent much time on the islands of Japan. A most wondrous place, but its pace of life is much too rushed for my preference. 

> On my return to the dear and ancient Land of Chin, I was summoned by my honorable Father for a meeting that will forever exist in my heart as a miracle. I have met the woman who is to be my wife. I no longer have a reason to curse my Father's name for this arranged union. She is sublime and simply radiates such powerful magic all around her. I feel I will be very happy with her at my side and she seems to be quite amenable to be my wife. 

> Now my task is to locate a home for us and the magic we shall create together as the years shall pass. I believe I have found just the place. This island is a paradise beyond all expectations. I have decided to name this ocean gem Bing Di Lian to honor the love I feel for my blessed Li Ying Fa--"

_

Both Syaoran and Sakura blinked and straightened in surprise. "Ying Fa?" the warrior questioned. "But, that's…"

"Sakura's name, hai, I know." replied Keroberus.

Tomoyo frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean by Ying Fa is Sakura's name?"

"Both mean cherry blossom, one in Japanese and the other in Chinese. Clow-sama's Ying Fa came from a small village at the edge of what's now Tibet. She came from a long line of wizards. Clow-sama is also talking about this very island."

"Kero, onegai, continue." urged the Card Mistress as she settled more comfortably against her boyfriend's chest.

The magical creature's eyes quickly scanned the page to find where he had left off. "Ah, here we go. This one is dated a few days later." He paused slightly.

> "_I have completed my exploration of this lush isle and have found something very odd about it. At first very thrilled with my discovery I now find myself growing increasingly displeased with it. I have this overwhelming sensation of being watched by someone or something growing in power. There is something foreboding about this fair island now, but I will not be frightened away from this like some skitter-ish rodent. This island shall be tamed. I will see to it. This place is far too beautiful to contain darkness._"

"There's a break of about a week now." Keroberus reported before continuing.

> "_I have found the source of these dark feelings. My instincts were correct and have guided me to it. I have found a buried temple--_"

"He found it! He found the Gate!" Meilin nearly shouted. "We're on top of the Gate!"

"Kero, is that true?" the teen videographer questioned in trepidation.

The Guardian Beast of the Seal skimmed down a few lines of the text to find the answer.

> "_After much research into this strange temple I have found it to be filled with dark magic. And it is growing in strength and power with each passing day. During my stays within it strange voices have whispered to me, speaking of horrors the world much endure in some form of retribution for a wrong long since forgotten. I can only conclude that this place is cursed. I have found a place that should have stayed hidden for all time. _

> I have drained most of my magic for many lunar cycles to come to re-bury the temple to a depth hopefully no one will ever reach and where its dark magic will never escape. This place will be hidden where a seeker will least suspect it. Who will ever suspect me of hiding such a dark force under my very home? 

> By Kami, I have no choice but to do this. My magic is not strong enough to destroy this cursed place. The Fates have not been as kind as I had first thought them to be at my arrival here. My island is the home of Mummaro's Gate. I pray my descendants are strong enough to overcome this legacy I leave them. 

> Buddha forgive me, I have unearthed the devil."

****

To Be Continued…


	17. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 8

DimensionsP17

April 19, 2001

Card Captors "Dimensions II - Test of Evil" 

**By : The MOUSE............................**

Daidouji Tomoyo watched her best friend's somber expression carefully as she pinned this one's hair up in a pair of cute and elegant twists tied with ribbons of white silk. The Li Clan Elders had announced shortly after noon that day that tonight's dinner would be a formal affair, a kind of celebratory reception to mark Li Syaoran's return to his family after so long and to celebrate the obviously wonderful relationship the Clan shared with the new Card Mistress. This had once again set Tomoyo into her designer mode. Patterns for the most exquisite gowns popped up in her mind for her two friends and for herself. With Li Lerae and Syaoran's Sister's help she found the perfect fabrics and was finished the gowns in record time. She had finished doing hers and Meilin's hair a little while ago and was now putting the finishing touches to the sorceress's light auburn locks. She always did love playing with Kinomoto Sakura's hair. It was just the right length to allow for any variety of hairstyles. But this particular hairstyle would look so much better if the teen Mistress of the Cards would only smile one of her brilliant and addictive smiles. Tomoyo turned her head to Li Meilin Rae adjusting the delicate straps of her shoes as she sat on the edge of the bed. The violet-eyed videographer gave her a silent, questioning look to which the ruby-eyes Chinese girl merely shrugged at a loss.

"You know, the Elders are expecting you to smile at tonight's dinner." Meilin pointed out hopefully.

Sakura blinked as if coming out of a deep trance. "Nani?"

"Are you okay?"

She sighed heavily and looked down at her hands neatly folded in her lap. "Sort of. I was just thinking about what Clow Reed wrote about Mummaro's Gate." She paused. "He was the most powerful sorcerer of all time and he couldn't stop it, just bury it again. So how are we supposed to stop it?"

Meilin grinned in reassurance. "With teamwork."

"Teamwork?"

"Hai." Tomoyo agreed readily as she pinned fresh cherry blossoms in her friend's hair. "Clow Reed was alone when he went up against the Gate. He hadn't created the cards yet so he also didn't have Kero around either. You're not alone. You'll have both Li and Kero _and_ the Clow Cards on your side."

"You can't fail." Meilin concluded, still grinning.

The tiniest of smiles touched Sakura's lips. "I guess you guys are right." She forced a laugh. "I'm being worried for nothing, ne?"

Her once-rival-now-friend stood and gave her a confident smile. "You'll see, Sakura, everything will turn out right. It's… It's when things are at their darkest that you shine your brightest."

Sakura stared at her in awe, then smiled genuinely. "Arigatou, Meilin."

She merely grinned brightly in response, proud of her own inspirational words.

Tomoyo hooked an arm with Sakura's. "We'd better get going. There's such thing as being fashionably late, but I don't think the Elders here would appreciate that. Besides, I can't wait to see Li's reaction to this dress on his _Cherry Blossom_."

With this said the three teens left the room, arm in arm, Sakura at their center, laughing away whatever fears or anxieties they may have had left.

* * *

"Argh! I'm the Guardian Beast of the Seal, not a jungle gym!" Keroberus cried out from under a pile of children.

Li Syaoran stood off to the side and watched the spectacle in concealed amusement. He just couldn't bring himself to smile yet, no matter how ridiculous Keroberus appeared buried under all the warrior's young Nieces and Nephews. He hated these kinds of fancy parties. As a boy his Mother had forced him to attend since he was to someday become his Clan's leader. He had to know who was who and why family politics worked the way it did. He had to learn his Clan's little intrigues to use them to his advantage. This particular social gathering was no different than the others had been. His Mother and the Elders were planning to drag him from important Clan member to member when Sakura arrived, to help him build ties for the future and to introduce Sakura as an important future part to the Clan. To make matters worse he could see his Cousin, Higato Allan, hovering around the edges of the vast Reception Hall. The warrior kept a clandestine eye on him, watching him stalk the room, always returning to the door as if waiting. He didn't have to wonder who he was waiting for. Given the first opportunity he would cause trouble. And then there was that girl with the deep sienna eyes. Try as he might to ignore her and look the other way she would always appear in his line of sight. It was very annoying, but he knew that if he showed her any kind of attention she would no doubt see it as an invitation for something more. If she was so willing to do everything possible to get noticed by him then there was no mistaking her intentions either. He sighed and brushed that matter from his mind like the tiny fleck of lint he brushed from his sleeve.

"You know, kids, I'm sure your Uncle would just _love_ to join in on all this fun." the Guardian Beast suddenly suggested coyly.

Before he could even begin to protest, the teen warrior/sorcerer was mobbed by his youngest relatives who effectively dragged him to the floor. He mock struggled against them, unable to stop the laughter that bubbled up within, hearing the shocked and surprised gasps from his older relatives all around at the sight.

"I'm going to get you for this, cotton fluff!" Syaoran laughed in warning to the Guardian.

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try under all those kids, gaki!" he retorted.

A few minutes later the children stilled and quieted as if sensing the subtle shift in the crowd. This gave both the sorcerer and the magical beast a chance to regain their breaths. Noting the awed hush in the room they both sat up and turned in the direction everyone was staring in. Keroberus smiled proudly as Syaoran felt his mouth go dry at the vision before him.

There stood Li Meilin Rae, Daidouji Tomoyo, and Kinomoto Sakura all wearing Tomoyo's latest creations. When and where she had found the time to create these clothes was a total mystery. Meilin's dress was velvet of a dark burgundy color and tailored just so as to completely expose one arm and shoulder. A bouffant sleeve covered the other arm. A slit ran up one of her legs and a black velvet choker completed the look. The dress Tomoyo wore was simpler, but by no means less elegant. She was complete clad in midnight blue accented in flecks of gold dust. Her arms and throat were covered, gold trimmed cutouts exposing the curve of her shoulders and the hollow between her collarbones. Her skirt was also slit the length of her leg.

But, by far, Tomoyo had once again reserved the most spectacular creation for Sakura. The dress was a silvery white with flower and leaf patterns imbedded in it that remained invisible to the eye until the light hit them at just the right angle. Her throat, from midway up her neck, was covered from sight by the shimmering material. Both smooth shoulders and slender arms were left bare. The dress, though dress was as inadequate a word to describe it as pond was to describe the ocean, seemed to hug every delicate curve perfectly, falling straight about her legs, twin slits running from hem to hip to subtly reveal smooth, bare legs. A deep blush of embarrassment tinted her cheeks at all the attention she was receiving. Carefully extracting himself from the pile of children, Syaoran stood and approached the angel that had blessed his miserable life with her presence.

"Just when I thought you couldn't possibly get more beautiful you go and prove me wrong." he told her with a tender smile, taking her hands in his.

This caused her blush to deepen, a shy grin adorning her lips. Then it became playfully seductive. "And you are more regally handsome than ever, my noble wolf." she told him as her eyes gave him an appreciative once over. 

He, too, wore white in the form of crisply pressed dress pants and a solid silk shirt. He suddenly tugged her closer, gently warming her lips with his own in a lingering embrace. A thrilled shiver raced up along Sakura's spine at how bold and tender he was. She vaguely heard the surprised gasps from the crowd, and somewhere the delighted squeal from Syaoran's four Sisters, but paid very little attention to them. Her mind was occupied by the thousands of pleasant sensations assaulting her senses. His scent of spice, sandalwood, and autumn leaves filled her nostrils as he kissed her so tenderly it was heart aching.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed, pulling her video camera from out of nowhere and training in on the embracing couple. "First spontaneous kiss, and I got it on tape!" Meilin laughed happily and clapped her hands softly.

Both Card Captors chuckled silently. _Let her think it's our first_, Syaoran whispered in Sakura's mind as he released her lips.__

_It's safer that way_, she agreed, gazing at him fondly. Then, "I get the feeling Li-san and Tomoyo planned this somehow." she smirked as she pinched the silk of his shirt.

He chuckled, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "No doubt that's the case, but who's complaining?"

"Mesuinu, for one." she giggled.

"And Higato." He frowned. "Who's Mesuinu?"

She smiled. "Your Cousin." He cocked his head to one side, still confused. "She's one of the four you had to pick from."

"One…?" He blinked suddenly. "Oh!" He then frowned playfully, fists on his hips. "How is it you know her name?" he teased.

Sakura poked his stomach gently, making him squirm. "I have my spies."

"Let me guess. They go by the names of Meilin and Tomoyo."

The mentioned teens grinned proudly. "We've been keeping an eye on her specifically." Meilin informed. "Li-san and your Sisters heard things and they don't trust her either. The others aren't a threat, but Mesuinu… She's dangerous."

Syaoran near growled, pulling his beloved sorceress closer to himself protectively. "Great, more trouble."

"Minor trouble." Tomoyo grinned. "You guys concentrate on the Gate and each other, but like I really have to tell you that, and we'll handle running interference with Higato and Mesuinu." She tugged at Meilin's arm suddenly. "And until the trouble starts, you have got to introduce me to those kawaii hunks over there." and she practically dragged the laughing ruby-eyed girl away to a grouping of men across the room from them.

Sakura giggled softly as she watched her friends go. "With any luck she'll find someone to distract _her_ enough to forget about video taping for a while."

"Not in this lifetime." he quipped. "Her camera is her drug and she's addicted to it beyond all hope."

This got Sakura to laugh. Syaoran looked at his adored soul mate, letting his aura brush against and mingle with hers. Even a few hours was far too long a time to be away from her. He could joke about Tomoyo being addicted to her camera all he wanted, but he too was addicted. Addicted to the mortal goddess standing at his side. Her aura was always so warm and so bright, just like her personality. Even the darkest room could light up in her presence. He felt content just gazing at her fondly, memorizing every tiny detail about her as if he would never see them again. The way the dim evening lights caught the golds of her honey auburn hair and added to the rosy hue of her soft skin, making her seem to glow ethereally. The way her smile could make even the most hardened man melt and smile in return, becoming putty in her delicate hands. And how her emerald eyes glimmered in mirth even when no smile adorned her lips. And she was his. He laid a warm hand on her cool bare shoulder hesitantly, unsure if he was still worthy to touch her. The move caused her to turn to him, her indescribable eyes meeting the sunset golds of his own. A light giggle tinkered from her throat.

"Ohayo, dreamer." she quipped.

He blinked. "Nani?"

She merely smirked playfully. "Caught you red handed in a deep contemplation."

Syaoran smirked as well, his arm slipping around her slim waist. "Hai, a very lovely visual contemplation."

Sakura giggled shyly. _Flattery will get you everywhere_, she sent coyly.

He tugged her closer to himself. _I know and here's hoping._

She blushed furiously, giving his chest a light tap in chiding. Her eyes began to wander about the busy Reception Hall at all the people. There were a few young children running around between the adults, but already the attendants and nannies were busy gathering then up to take them off to bed. Some of the youngsters protested a bit, but the rest went quietly. This finally gave Keroberus the chance to stand and stretch, immediately heading for the tremendously long dinner table afterwards.

"Leave it to him to think of food right away." Syaoran quipped.

"One of his two greatest loves." Sakura stated with a smile.

"What's the other?"

"Zylon Warriors." she answered matter-of-factly and they both laughed.

A little girl suddenly broke away from the group of children, being herded towards the exit, and ran up to the Card Captors. She couldn't have been much older than two years, her chubby little legs carrying her across the room with amazing speed. Barely slowing her momentum, no doubt unable to, the child latched her plump arms around Sakura's knee, holding on for dear life as she squealed in delight. The sorceress yelped in surprise, then smiled down at the tiny cherub.

"Ohayo. Where did you come from?"

The child giggled at the attention and held her arms up to the sorceress. "Up!" she demanded adorably.

Sakura chuckled. "Hai, hime." and she lifted her up in her arms. 

Most of those standing near the young couple turned and smiled at them. At that moment, had a complete stranger walked into the room and seen them, one would have sworn these three were a family. The young sorceress was cuddling the child preciously, the sorcerer's arms wrapped protectively around his partner's waist as he smiled whimsically at them both.

Now at eye level the little girl stared at Sakura in sheer awe. Syaoran chuckled. "There's a reaction I know all too well."

"Pretty." the child cooed.

The Card Mistress smiled sweetly. "Not as pretty as you, hime. And a pretty girl like you needs her beauty sleep."

She shook her head vehemently with a pout. "Play."

"No, sleep." she patiently corrected her.

"Play!" she insisted. "Akira wanna play!"

"I'll handle this one." Keroberus announced as he approached the three. "Would Akira like to play with Kero?"

Little Akira made grabbing motions towards the Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Big kitty!"

Sakura carefully placed the child on her Guardian's back, vainly trying to hold back her laughter at the look of distaste on his face. Though the name was slightly better than most of the ones Syaoran had used, it was still a name that was slightly belittling to the beast's pride. Exaggerating his movements to cause the child to bounce around, Keroberus lumbered off towards the attendants already leading the rest of the children away.

"Guardian Beast and babysitter." the sorceress chuckled as she watched them go.

The warrior smirked. "He's getting his practice in early."

She blinked, pausing for a moment, then faced him in puzzlement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing… for now." he winked. "C'mon, Mother wants us to meet a few people." and he steered her towards the Clan matriarch, keeping a hand to the small of Sakura's back.

* * *

Higato watched the happy couple from a distance, fuming at every tender display of affection they showed each other. He had been just as stunned as the rest of his relatives at the Card Mistress's appearance when she had entered the Reception Hall. He had been almost certain the heavens were missing an angel that night. She was striking. No one living girl could be that beautiful so naturally. She had to be supernatural. He had just about recovered enough to race up to her and compliment her on her appearance in an attempt to at least win a smile from her and some small favor in her eyes, but once again his Cousin had beat him to her. He had watched them exchange sweet pleasantries, then had gasped in horror while his relatives had gasped in shock when Li had kissed her, right there, in front of everyone. And the lithe cheerleader had done nothing to stop him.

Allan stifled a growl at that recent memory. His steel grey eyes watched the teen Card Captors join Li-san speaking with some other of their relatives. Everyone bowed in deep respect to the duo. Higato recognized most of those they spoke to. Heads of large companies, political leaders, and a few military leaders, all much older than the teens, but all showed the deepest regards and loyalty to them. Allan knew they had to show Li their obedience since he was to become the Clan's leader, but why did they show this to Kinomoto as well?

He abruptly blinked at the thought. _He's not…! By the Grand Dragon, I won't let him!_ he screamed inwardly.

He joined the crowd as they all moved towards the long table to sit down for dinner. By pure luck he managed to grab a seat not too far away from the head of the table where the Elders, Li, Li-san, lovely Kinomoto and her friends all sat. A free seat had been left between Meilin and Daidouji Tomoyo, no doubt for the Guardian Beast when he returned from helping with the children. From where he now sat Allan could keep a watchful eye on his heart's desire. She was perfectly elegant during the dinner, a bright infectious smile on her face as she spoke pleasantly to the Elder on her right, her hand clasped tightly with Li at her immediate left. Never once did the Card Captors release each other's hands throughout the entire meal. Every so often Allan would see Li pick a choice morsel from his plate with his chopsticks and carefully hold it up to the sorceress's lips. She would giggle innocently and allow him to feed her with the greatest of care. The Elders would smile and nod to each other in clear approval. Every so often he would hear Daidouji giggle happily as she videotaped the young couple flirting with each other. And in the background to it all was Li's Sisters squealing and cooing in delight at the simply adorable scene between their little Brother and the sorceress. 

Everyone knew how stoic a warrior young Li was, dedicated to his tasks and unwavering in a duty given. This is what made his actions to the emerald-eyed beauty all the more surprising. The usually emotionless _Little Wolf_ was completely enamoured to the _Cherry Blossom_ to the point where he didn't care what anyone saw them do or thought about them.

To the grey-eyed teen it was as if the two were flaunting the fact that they were together. Allan scowled his most hateful glare at them both when the warrior/sorcerer leaned over to Kinomoto to kiss her bare shoulder and whisper something in her ear, making her blush deeply. Higato's hand closed over his dinner knife, but a sudden force held his wrist in place to restrain him.__

_Patience, Higato_, the hollow voice from before chided in his mind. _Your task lies elsewhere. I have someone else to arrange for the Little Wolf's departure. Bide your time._

* * *

Mesuinu sat at the far end of the lengthy table, yet saw everything going on between the outsider and Xiao Lang thanks to a small disk nestled in the palm of her hand. The _wraith_ from the other night had helped her experiment with her magic, teaching her certain spells that were certainly very handy for the jilted girl. She frowned when she saw Xiao Lang kiss the Card Mistress's shoulder.__

_That should be me!_ she fumed. _I should be the one sitting at his side! I should be the one he keeps so close! I should be the one he kisses! _Her frame began to tremble ever so slightly in rising fury. _When must I act?_

_Soon, child_, the voice placated softly. _The time draws very near. Gather your strength. I will tell you when the time is right._

She closed her fist over the disk and dug deep into herself, calling on every recess of magic she possessed for her task. Such lovely pain she would cause the sorceress before she took what rightly belonged to her. It was perfect.__

_You will feel the pain I have felt at your arrival, little witch. Xiao Lang is mine!_

* * *

Both Sakura and Syaoran stiffened slightly at a sudden, insistent yet gentle crackle of electricity along the edge of their senses. All previous thoughts of contentment and affection faded to the backs of their minds as they concentrated their attention on this new occurrence. They could feel it collecting to a point that was as yet undetermined. Nonetheless, to Syaoran, this was a very bad omen. The warrior's hand tightened around the sorceress's hand as his piercing wolf eyes covertly scanned the Reception Hall and all its occupants. To his eyes everyone seemed normal enough, enjoying their meal, performing their duties. Nothing seemed out of place, yet where was this feeling coming from. Sakura shot a quick glance at Keroberus seated across the table from her. The golden beast was so engrossed in the pile of sweet desserts before him that he didn't seem to notice the strange magic floating in the air collecting to a point nearby.__

_Does anyone of your family feel that too?_ she asked her partner.__

_No. I don't think anyone else is strong enough. We've had more practice at keeping our senses alert because of the cards._

She looked at him. _This isn't a card._

He met her mesmerizing eyes. _It's much darker,_ he agreed. _Much colder, yet…_

_… familiar,_ she completed.__

_Hai._

The sensation suddenly seemed to explode in intensity and everyone with even the slightest hint of magic in them felt it undulating around them. Hushed, frightened murmurs began to spread through the Reception Hall as people tried to figure out where the sensation of building magic was coming from. At a loss they all turned to those seated at the head of the table expectantly, mainly at the Card Captors. Both teens frowned at their surroundings as they stood slowly, scanning the Reception Hall with their magic senses for the point of origin of this strange feeling. Sakura walked to the other side of the table and, with her eyes closed, walked steadily along the length of the table behind those seated. Syaoran did the same on his side of the table. Their hands were held up just inches behind the napes of each person as they probed each aura in turn. One of those in the room had to be the source. So far none of the ones they passed were it, but they could feel themselves drawing closer. All eyes were on them, watching, and waiting, feeling the light ripple of energy from them as they searched.

* * *

Sienna-eyed Mesuinu struggled to keep up her calm façade as the Card Captors drew ever nearer to where she sat. She could feel them, see them searching the souls of everyone, one by one. They were getting much too close to discovering her. She had to act soon or all her efforts would be for nothing. Worry began to eat at her nerves.__

_When must I act?_ she demanded inwardly.

There was a pause that felt like an eternity. Had her benefactor abandoned her?__

_Now!_ the wraith suddenly commanded.

* * *

Sakura felt herself recoil suddenly as if a live electrical wire had run her through. She opened her eyes and found dark sienna orbs glaring at her. The sorceress's green eyes widened slightly as she took an involuntary step back in fear, stunned by the amount of hate swimming in the girl's dark eyes. Their eyes locked as Mesuinu stood deliberately slow, the ex-bride-to-be's stare refusing to release the sorceress's gaze. Sakura felt frozen in place, as if time was moving in slow motion. She could hear Syaoran shouting a warning to her, could see him running to rush to her side from the corner of her eye, but her gaze was fixed on Mesuinu. Her feet felt rooted to the floor.__

_What's happening to me?_ the sorceress demanded of herself, nearing a state of panic.

"Feel pain, little witch." Mesuinu growled low in menace, an evil grin on her ruby lips. "Feel the lovely pain you have caused me."

Just as he rounded the end of the table Syaoran saw his beloved soul mate drop to her knees, her face contorted in deep agony. The pained cry from her lips tore his heart apart. Seconds later his own senses were assaulted by a pain so acute the he felt suddenly paralyzed. There was no one place that hurt more than the others. It was as if all his pain receptors were ordered to fire off all at once. He fell to the unforgiving floor to the sound of Sakura crying out in sheer agony as she curled into a fetal position. He was mirroring her pain, felt what she felt, felt it arcing across their link in torrential waves to attack his senses as well. She screamed out his name, both desperate for help and comfort and remorseful that he too had to share the unbearable sensation. Those of the Li Clan leapt to their feet, some rushing to the Card Captors' aid while others charged at the smug looking Mesuinu. No one seemed to be able to reach the girl. All who tried were thrown backwards unceremoniously. With a mighty roar Keroberus leapt forward and stood over the writhing body of his Mistress in protection. He bared his fangs and claws to the attacker hoping to scare her into stopping her magical assault. Instead of the reaction he was hoping for, the girl laughed.

"Hai, oh, mighty Guardian Beast of the Seal, protect your precious Mistress of the Clow Cards. She's not the one I'm after in the first place."

Stunned faces watched the avenging teen turn away from the person everyone had originally believed was her target. Who she did turn to sent a cold chill up everyone's spines.

Her target was Li Syaoran.

Syaoran managed to raise himself to his knees despite the pain and looked up. He saw the girl, one of his distant Cousins who he was supposed to have chosen from to be his wife, begin to walk towards him, her pace deliberate and full of purpose. None of his Clansmen seemed to be able to stop her approach. Behind the girl he could see the Guardian Beast standing over his Mistress's huddled body as he watched the scene helplessly. Tears filled Sakura's green eyes, her eyes locking with the warm amber of her beloved soul mate's eyes. Syaoran could feel the crackling bolts of energy surrounding the sienna-eyes Mesuinu as she approached him, but he didn't give her the twisted satisfaction of watching her draw nearer. His eyes were for Sakura alone, watching and feeling her struggle against the painful magical attack.__

_Syaoran…?_ her mind half questioned, half pleaded.

He focused his whole being on his beloved sorceress. _I have faith in you_, he sent her, hoping she understood.

Sakura blinked, having seen his eyes momentarily flash a brilliant white. An overwhelming sense of reassurance seemed to fill her as she felt Syaoran's presence brush her soul in a lovingly tender caress. The tiniest of smiles touched her lips and she stared back at him.__

_I will find you_, she sent him, somehow knowing he would soon be leaving.

Syaoran blinked in surprise when her eyes flashed a scintillating white, but at the same time he felt reassured by it. He, too, knew he would be gone within the next few moments. How he knew this was a mystery even to him. But at the same time he was beyond certain that no matter what Sakura would find him. It was a strange role-reversal, it had always been his job to protect and save her from harm. Now it was her turn to save him from whatever this was.

Oblivious to everything save her apparent victory, Mesuinu came to stand next to the kneeling object of her affection and toyed with his earthy brown hair in affection. "Xiao Lang is mine, outsider." she directed to the Card Mistress. "I will make him see that. I suggest you not be here when we return. It'll save you from being rejected so publicly."__

_I will find you_, Sakura sent again softly just as a dark sphere surrounded Mesuinu and the girl's prize.

The sphere abruptly darkened and contracted in on itself, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The pain she had been suffering left the young sorceress at the same time as the sphere disappeared from sight. Shock held the Reception Hall in a deep, stunned silence. No one dared to speak, still not believing what they had just witnessed. Slowly Sakura raised herself to her knees and just stared at where her love had once been, a look of sheer determination on her face.

"I promise." she whispered fiercely.

 ****

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 8

DimensionsP18

April 26, 2001

Card Captors "Dimensions II - Test of Evil" 

**By : The MOUSE............................**

Syaoran couldn't remember exactly when it had been he had passed out or why exactly he had. Not that it mattered much now since he was positive he did pass out. He was waking from it as he realized it. His senses were agonizingly sluggish to return, frustrating his already alert mind. He wanted to know where he was, needed to know to prepare himself for anything that could happen. The warrior's sense of balance returned first. He was vertical by the feel of it, standing or hanging from something. Sounds came next. There were chains nearby, clinking softly from movement caused by something swinging from them or from a breeze moving them. But he didn't hear any wind. Only breathing. He could hear three different sets, his own sounding slightly ragged and two others not far away. The sense of touch returned soon after. The chains he had heard were binding him, holding his arms up and apart above his head, digging into his flesh slightly. The air was cool against his face. Or was that sensation of the fingers trailing down his cheek?

_Fingers?_

A warm breath brushed his lips and he recoiled sharply, as far as the chains would allow him, before whoever it was made contact with his mouth. He knew instinctively that this was not Sakura. His tawny eyes snapped open to stare into the disappointed face of his Cousin, Mesuinu. Syaoran frowned a growl at her, turning his face away in disgust.

She bristled and pouted like a child. "Why don't you love me?" she questioned in all innocence, genuinely not understanding how he could possibly resist her.

"Gee, where to start?" he snapped sarcastically, still looking away.

Mesuinu moved closer to him and grinned triumphantly when his chains kept him from retreating any further. She pressed herself up against his chest, a hand to his heart as the other hand lightly traced the features of his face, enjoying his attempts to escape her touch.

"That girl is an outsider, Xiao Lang, she is unworthy of your attentions." she murmured seductively. "You deserve someone of your Clan, someone better. Let me be that someone."

He didn't say a word, only tried to pull his face further away from her searching lips, thoroughly disgusted.

"She is far too naïve and innocent." she cooed, undeterred by his actions of refusal. "You deserve someone more experienced, someone who will know how to please you in every way possible."

Syaoran blinked in appalled understanding. He frowned in utter revulsion and glared at his jailer. "I would rather die a horrible and agonizing death that let you anywhere near me that way." he hissed.

Her expression faded to stunned disbelief. 

He refused her? 

The disbelief then melted into fury. He wasn't allowed to refuse her. He had to fall in love with her. She pulled back away from him, much to the warrior's relief. With her hand balled into a fist she struck Syaoran hard across the face, hard enough for him to taste his own blood on his tongue. All the sweetness and innocence that had played upon her face were now gone, replaced by the expression worn by every woman who was ever shunned by the one she loved.

"You'll change your mind soon enough." she ground in promise. "You'll see. I brought you here just for that."

_Here…_, he suddenly pondered. _Where is here anyway?_

Working his jaw against the pain from the blow, the young warrior raised his eyes and took in his surroundings. Lit torches cast the only light to see by along with a lamp hanging very close to the center of the ceiling. Dark shadows cast areas so pitch it was impossible to see through. Everything around him was made of carved stone and mortar. He blinked as details sunk in one by one, striking a memory cord.

A circular room…

Massive stone pillars…

A domed ceiling…

Symbols in all the most ancient languages of the world carved into the floor…

A central raised altar…

"Kami-sama… Where did you bring us?" he demanded, eyes wide as he recognized the place.

"Only where my patron Saint told me to bring you." she answered innocently.

"Patron Saint…? Do you have any idea where we are?"

She shook her head in confusion.

"You are roughly a mile and a half underground." a hollow, yet familiar sounding voice intoned from one of the black shadows. "Welcome, Li Xiao Lang, to Mummaro's Gate… and my prison."

The chained warrior glared into the shadows. "Don't bother going for the dramatic entrance. I already know what you look like."

The being in the shadow chuckled. "Hai, I suppose you do at that."

Mesuinu stared from the darkness, to Syaoran, and back again in utter puzzlement. This was not at all how she had expected all of this to go. 

How had the warrior/sorcerer known what this place was from sight alone when she did not? 

How was it he knew the wraith when he had never met him? 

What had the wraith called this place his prison? 

Then something finally struck her. "Mummaro's Gate?" she exclaimed in dawning fear.

The being shrouded in shadows stepped into the light, shaking his head with an annoyed smile. "Oh, do make an effort to keep up with the rest of the class, Mesuinu." Syaoran's black-eyed twin chided.

Now beyond confused she stared at both warriors with wide eyes, taking an involuntary step back. "Two? There are two of you?"

The _dark one_ chuckled again. "Ah, now there's the reason I chose you for this. Not the smartest girl out there."

The derogatory comment was ignored. "But… but how…?"

Amber-eyed Syaoran frowned at his double. "Body snatcher."

"Tut, tut, Little Wolf. I merely took something you no longer had a use for." He suddenly smiled evilly. "In fact, you won't have use of much of anything soon."

"No!" Mesuinu suddenly blinked. "He's mine! You said that you would turn him if I brought him here."

"Hai, but I never said I would let him leave. Alive, in any case."

"You promised to help me!"

"Ah, dear jilted child, how easily you were duped, ne? I only needed you to bring him to me since I was blocked from directly doing it myself. One of Clow's little spells. Did you really and truly believe I would keep my promise?"

She couldn't bring herself to believe her ears. Nor her eyes as she stared at the dark eyed version of her heart's desire. He was nothing like the real warrior. He had no honor. Her body began to tremble in once again rising anger.

"No, girl, Xiao Lang is merely my doomed bait."

"Doomed bait?" she spat.

"Hai. The lovely _Cherry Blossom_ would never leave her _Little Wolf_ to a fate such as this."

"Always with the outsider!"

"Hai, she shows so much more power and potential than you, Mesuinu. She'll come soon. Higato will see to it."

The real Syaoran blinked. "Higato? You got him involved too?"

"Of course. His obsession for her made him so easy to manipulate. I made them both do my dirty work, turning what little magic they had dark. Their deaths will only add to my strength."

"You're mad!"

He made a dismissive gesture. "Hai, well, a few centuries of imprisonment will do that to you."

Mesuinu suddenly charged at the _dark one_ with a fury maddened shriek. He didn't seem at all surprised by this move, almost as if he had expected it. Just before her hands could claw at his face his hand shot up from his side and gripped the hapless girl around the throat, easily lifting her off the ground as if she were weightless. She gasped desperately to get some air around his grip, her legs kicking the air desperately, her hands prying at a grip that just wouldn't loosen. Cold and dispassionate the dark one looked at her struggling in his grip.

"You've outlived your usefulness, Mesuinu."

"No, matte!" amber-eyed Syaoran cried out.

Black-eyed Syaoran raised an eyebrow at him. "Concerned about her, _Little Wolf_? Why?"

The warrior hesitated. "No matter what she did up until now, she is family."

"Correction." There was a dull, sickening crack and the girl went completely limp. "She _was_ family." and he dropped her like she was nothing more than a rag doll.

The direct descendant of Clow Reed stared at the crumpled and lifeless body of his Cousin lying at the feet of his doppelganger. He was in shock. How could anyone take a life so casually as if it were a right given him or a simple whim? This thing had to be stopped at all costs. Who knew what else this creature was capable of doing if given the opportunity?

_Kami-sama! And Higato is bringing Sakura here! No! Can I warn her?_

He tried seeking out the bright and warm mind of his beloved sorceress and found nothing. 

_Nani?_

It was as if a gigantic wall had been dropped down between her mind and his. He couldn't feel her presence at all. No doubt she couldn't feel his aura either. It was an almost terrifying sensation. He couldn't warn the Card Mistress of the danger waiting for her. She would be walking blindly into a trap, led in by another sacrificial lamb chosen by this creature of the Gate. 

The _dark one_ stepped away from the body casually and approached the stunned warrior. The real Syaoran could see the Life Card slink out from its hiding place behind one of the massive pillars. It tentatively approach the dead girl, picking her limp body up off the floor and cradling her almost tenderly in its arms to silently cry over and mourn a life it could not save. No matter how much it wanted to bring this girl back to life, the dark one forbade her from using its powers. As its Master, the card had to obey him. It looked up to the chained sorcerer, almost pleading for help of any kind.

_How can I help you?_ he questioned it with his eyes. _If I use my magic in here the whole place will go off like Hiroshima. It'll be a hundred times worse if Sakura tried it._

It gave him a plaintive look, unsure on how to answer the question in his eyes.

"Now, Xiao Lang." the doppelganger began, calling his captive's attention away from the Clow Card. "You and I simply must have a long talk about the lovely Cherry Blossom." and he sneered victoriously.

_Tin Hau, protect her!_

* * *

Kinomoto Sakura stood still and silent among the chaos, as most of those from the crowd around her fell into a panic at the recent events. The future leader of the Li Clan had been taken. No resistance had been possible. A deep, dark and powerful magic had been used to spirit him away to destination unknown. Keroberus stood at the young sorceress's side, both watching the barely controlled mayhem and Sakura's face. She seemed both lost and in control all at the same time. Then he saw her blink suddenly from something. The teen Mistress of the Cards suddenly looked down at her wrists and noticed them beginning to turn red. It felt as if something was rubbing them raw.

_Syaoran?_

She flinched visibly as something seemed to strike her across the face. With ginger fingers she touched the corner of her mouth and was only mildly surprised to find blood now staining her fingertips. Her eyes softened. She and her soul mate still shared sensations, still shared in each other's pain, but for the moment sensations seemed to be all they could share. All other forms of communication were blocked. She was unable to feel where he was, was unable to hear his thoughts. His aura was being masked to her senses. It frightened her, but the pain she felt from him seemed to reassure her slightly. If he was hurting and she could feel it, then it meant he was alive wherever he had been taken to.

_I will find you._

A pair of rough hands gripped her shoulders from behind and tugged her back against a hard chest none too gently. She yelped in surprise, stiffening, and shoved whoever this was back away from her, yanking herself free of the rough hands. Both she and Keroberus whirled around to face the one that had been so brazen as to do this. A glare appeared on the sorceress's face at the teen standing there, looking thoroughly confused at her actions. Keroberus moved to stand between them to protect his Mistress, a low and menacing growl reverberating in his mighty chest.

"Don't you _ever_ touch me." Sakura snapped at Higato Allan.

"I was just trying to comfort you in your moment of need." he explained in a sickeningly charming voice, keeping a wary eye on the Guardian Beast of the Seal blocking his path.

"I don't need or want _your_ comfort, Higato." and she walked away, flanked by her Guardian.

Higato frowned as he watched the lithe Japanese girl walk towards the Elders and her friends standing on the edge of the crowd. They all looked concerned about the male Card Captor's disappearance. They had a right to be. Higato knew the wraith was at the center of this. This was part of the teen's plan to rid himself of his rival for the lovely cheerleader's affections. But things were still not going his way.

_She still refuses my advances._

_Shadow her movements, Higato_, a voice whispered in his mind. _She will be hunting for her Little Wolf soon. Mesuinu has taken him deep underground, but there are tunnels the Cherry Blossom can take hidden beneath the estate. She alone must enter the tunnels. You will know when to act. Your chance will come soon._

Higato nodded and hovered just out of sight of the small group.

Sakura came to stand with her friends, the Elders and Lerae, seeming much calmer than all of them combined. They looked at her expectantly, knowing she could sense where Li Syaoran was at all times. They were waiting for just that information from her, confident in her abilities. Lerae was hopeful, desperation rising within her. This was the first time she couldn't find her Son. Sakura turned from face to face and sighed, hanging her head.

"Gomen ne. I can't feel him anymore."

Lerae's hopes sank. "Cannot feel him?"

"What do you feel, Card Mistress?" one Elder questioned carefully.

Sakura closed her eyes and frowned in deep concentration. "I can feel sort of like… a wall. It's dark. He's surrounded by it and it won't let me locate him."

"Then he has to be in Mummaro's Gate." Keroberus concluded pensively. "All that dark magic is blocking you."

All the Elders made sounds of protest, deeming it impossible for Mesuinu to have been able to do such a thing since her magic was not strong enough. But the eldest of the Elders merely rubbed his upper lip thoughtfully as he pondered the recent events. If the girl, he and the other Elders had chosen, had been in league with the forces controlling the Gate then it was not as impossible as his peers believed for her magic to have been so powerful.

"It would be far too much of a coincidence for all these events to be unrelated to one another." he finally spoke. "It must be assumed that Mesuinu inherited her new gifts from the Gate."

"But how could she have since she had no knowledge of it's location?" another Elder protested.

"Dark forces have a tendency to seek out those they can use. Mesuinu clearly wanted to be the one to stand at Xiao Lang's side. She wanted power, this was something those powers understood. It found her." The eldest Elder turned to Sakura. "Card Mistress, you and Xiao Lang were searching for the Gate's location in our Clan's scrolls."

"Hai." she nodded.

"Then tell us, have you found it?"

"Hai." Tomoyo answered for her. "We're standing on top of it."

Lerae and the Elders blinked in confusion.

"Clow Reed built his home on top of the Gate to hide it from future seekers." Keroberus explained. "This estate was his home. He figured no one would think to look for something so dangerous under his own home. Now that I think about it this wasn't one of Clow-sama brightest moves."

"This explains much." one of the Elders began. "A few decades ago plans were made to add a storage room deep beneath the estate to prepare for a possible third world war instigated between the United States and the Soviet Union. We wish to be prepared in the event that another atomic bomb was used."

"Hai, I remember that now." another Elder spoke. "During the excavation we struck a barrier of interlocking stones. We thought it was some long ago buried floor, but nothing could chip those stones. Not the excavation tools nor our magic could pierce through."

"It must be part of the Gate." Meilin concluded. "Syaoran said that Light and Dark magic cancel each other out. And it has to be protected by a spell. That's why nothing can get through it."

Sakura nodded and faced the Elders. "Take me there." she ordered.

"No!" Everyone turned to the Guardian Beast in confusion and surprise. "No, Sakura, you can't go into the Gate." he voiced again in opposition.

"Kero…?"

"No. Your magic in contact with the Gate would destroy the planet. We… the kid and I both agreed we couldn't let you go there."

"Oh, Kero…" The teen sorceress kneeled before the golden beast to be at his eye level. "Kero, there's no other way. Whatever is in there wants me to show up. If I don't what do you think it'll do to Syaoran? To everyone here?"

He bowed his head. "I already lost Clow-sama. I don't want to lose you too." he whispered.

Her eyes softened and she carefully dug her fingers into the fur of his ruff affectionately. "You won't. I won't use my magic… I don't even know how. I'll find a different way."

He met her eyes. "Which way?"

"Um… I'll let you know when we get there."

"Sakura…" he groaned.

She stood quickly and again faced the Elders. "Take me to that storage room."

The eldest Elder nodded once. "Lerae, we will calm the Clan. Take the Card Mistress to the cellars."

"Hai, Elder." she bowed and the matriarch led the three teen girls and the large lion-like beast away at a jog.

Higato Allan was right on their heels. He wasn't about to let the sorceress out of his sight even for a second. They tolerated his presence so long as he kept his distance from the Mistress of the Cards. The small group nearly ran down the main building's many winding corridors, down what felt like countless flights of stairs until drab dark stone replaced the wood and paper walls. Gaslights lit their way down a steeply sloped passageway to an unfinished chamber beyond. The caked clay floor still showed signs of the decades old excavation work, elaborately interlocked stones showing beneath. Sakura walked out onto the stones and crouched down, brushing her hand along their cool and dusty surface. An icy electric chill raced up her fingers and her arm upon contact with the carved rock. This was definitely connected to Mummaro's Gate. Keroberus scratched his claws to the hard ground and listened to the sound it made very carefully, his hearing range far exceeding that of a human.

"It's hollow underneath." he informed.

Young Kinomoto paused for a moment, then straightened. "Right." Her hand closed over the key-like pendant hanging at her throat. It began to shimmer at her silent call and floated out to hang midair before her.

"_Oh, Key of Clow,_

_Power of Magic, Power of Light,_

_Surrender the Wand,_

_The Force ignite!_

_Release!_"

Glowing fiercely with powerful and ancient magic the key began to expand into its wand form, easily coming to rest within its Mistress's waiting hand.

"But, the Elders said magic could break through the rocks." Tomoyo voiced to her friend's back.

"Who said anything about using magic?" Sakura whirled around and showed them the Clow Card she now held. "I'm going to use brute force."

"I'd like to once again voice my disagreement of you entering Mummaro's Gate." the magical beast rumbled.

"Objection noted." was all she answered.

Higato watched in rapt fascination as Clow's magic seal appeared around her feet, magic charging the air around them. He had seen her call on the Clow Cards before during her battle against Cerberus and during the capture of the two element Clow Cards, but he had never seen it happen from so close. She was simply stunning. And she was firm in her decision.

"_Power Card! Release and dispel!_" The card flew from her nimble fingers mere seconds before her wand struck it dead center. "_Release!_" 

At her call the card seemed to envelope the girl, surrounding her in a bright pink aura. She held herself differently now. The teen now appeared to stand like a superwoman, power and strength radiating all around her much like this new aura surrounding her. She stared at the floor in fierce determination.

_Be ready to act quickly, Higato_, Allan heard a voice whisper in his mind.

"Stand way back." the Card Mistress instructed, raising her wand.

It came down quickly on the hard stones with a resounding thwack. The floor shook from the magically powered blow, then a whole section fell away to reveal a dark emptiness below. Sakura recalled the Power Card and approached the edge to peer down. Being a little bolder than her friend, Meilin stuck her head down the hole and looked around. She sat back on her heels with a grunt.

"Dark down there, but it looks like it lightens down a ways."

"Sakura and I will go in alone." Keroberus announced definitively. "It'll be safer this way."

For once Tomoyo agreed without any protest, only looking on in trepidation for her friends. With a bracing breath Sakura carefully eased herself over the side of the opening, then let herself drop into the pitch void. Barely a second after letting go did her feet connect with the dusty stones below. The air was stale, having stagnated for so many centuries. Just as Meilin had reported, down the tunnel were the first signs of light, flickering softly. No doubt torchlight.

"All clear, let's go, Kero!" she called up through the opening.

Higato stepped away from the wall as Keroberus prepared to jump through. Allan extended his palm out to those still standing around the hole, an evilly smug grin on his lips. Suddenly erupting from his hand, an invisible force shot forward and slammed the four into a wall, away from the hole. Before any of them had a chance to recover he made a dash for the opening in the floor, letting himself drop through it. He saw a flash of an image in the dim light from above, Sakura turning to him in surprise, as he turned back to the hole and the pile of rubble below it. With a wave of his arm the rubble leapt up from the ground and reassembled itself back in its original place, effectively blocking the opening. Sakura could only gape in shock for the moment, barely taking notice of Allan turning and approaching her. Her instincts forced her to take a step back before he got too close to her.

"You too?" was all she could voice.

He smiled his most disarming smile at her. "And all done for you, Beautiful."

He made a move to touch her cheek, but she knocked it away, a frown on her face where he had expected to see a smile.

"What possibly made you believe that I would want any of this? And especially it coming from you?"

"Because I have the power now. Because we're Fated to be together." He suddenly gripped her arms. "You haunt me, Sakura. I dream of you every night." Higato pinned her against one of the walls, not releasing her no matter how hard she fought. "You don't know how much I want you. Everything about you drives me insane. The way you move, the way you smile, your eyes, your body, your scent... Oh Kami, your scent..." and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

She cried out in protest, desperately hitting and pushing at his shoulders to force him off of her any way she could. Allan just wouldn't budge, nuzzling her ear in growing lust. She knew that if she didn't do something soon anything was liable to happen. Sakura then raised her knee up hard in a move as basic to a female as instinct was. Allan doubled over unceremoniously, clutching at his crotch in excruciating pain, a groan the only sound coming from his throat. He dropped to the ground, giving Sakura the precious few minutes she needed to run away from him and towards the very faint light just ahead. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the obsessed teen as possible. 

Turning a corner the light source suddenly vanished. She near skidded to a stop to regain her bearings in the dark. A black darker than pitch surrounded the lone Mistress of the Cards. She couldn't see a thing, but she did feel very powerful and dark magic all around her, concentrated in one direction. She took a blind step in the dark, following her senses. She knew what this force was calling her. This was the power of Mummaro's Gate. This was a trap, but this was also the only way she could find her beloved _Little Wolf_. The air was musty and damp with age, dirt and water. Her own footsteps and breathing were the only sounds to reach her ears. The silence was deafening. She was alone here. It caused a cold chill to run up her back. She walked in the darkness for what seemed like hours, surprised she hadn't tripped or run into anything. The darkness lifted slightly as torchlight came into view. Ancient, crumbling columns were everywhere, both fallen and still standing to support the ceiling. There were no windows in the roughly cut walls of hard clay and stone. Both the walls and the ceiling resembled more those belonging to a cave adapted for these tunnels. She frowned. This was her vision. Sakura stopped walking and looked around her dimly lit surroundings. The walls and columns were covered in carvings and frescos. She recognized the styles of the carvings from her history books. 

Ancient Greek.

Inca.

Ancient Chinese and Japanese.

And others she couldn't quite remember or recognize. The dark magical presence she had felt earlier began to tug at her senses yet again. Again she frowned and began walking towards it.__

_Hai, alright, I'm coming_, she snapped mentally.

She continued moving deeper into this cave-like temple. Torchlight was the only source of illumination until she reached the large circular chamber with a high domed ceiling. A round hole was punched through the center of the dome, allowing bright light from an unknown source to shine down on the empty raised stone altar. Before it lay a body dressed in pale blue silk, her long ebony braid curling on the floor behind her. Sakura blinked.__

_This is different._

She took a step past the room's threshold to investigate and began to hear soft whispers.__

_"… she is the one…"_

_"… power…"_

_"… Card Mistress…"_

_"… the Chosen One…"_

The rest of the voices were in languages and dialects she didn't understand. Silently she wondered if this had been what Clow Reed had written about in his texts, about strange voices whispering to him when he entered the Gate. The tiles of the floor were arranged in a pentagram within a circle, just like she had seen in her vision. Symbols in various languages, including Greek, Chinese, and Japanese, were scattered all around the design. If she focused hard enough Sakura could make out heat eddies rising up from the patters and lines. This was a symbol of great power, a nexus, just like in her vision. With hesitant steps she walked up to the stone altar dominating the center of the chamber. She felt the room's power hum all around her as she crossed the pattern's lines. Her hand trembled in nervous fear as she clutched her staff a little tighter. Her mind worked quickly to assess the new changes before her.

Why wasn't the body on the altar?

Why wasn't it Syaoran?

For now she had no answers for herself. Carefully she knelt down next to the body and rolled it over from its side to its back. Mesuinu's lifeless sienna eyes stared past her, forever oblivious to the world around her. Sakura jerked back in shock, a small gasp escaping her lips. Mesuinu was dead. By the bruising on the girl's throat, Sakura could easily figure out how she had died. It was brutal.

"**_Sakura!_**__" Higato yelled harshly as he appeared at one of the chamber's many entrances just as she whirled around. "I will make you very, _very_ sorry for what you did." he ground in rage. 

He took a few quick steps towards her cringing form, then was forced to a very abrupt stop when he rammed into some sort of invisible barrier. Allan stared at the nothingness that blocked him in surprise, then glared at the teen sorceress. 

"Are you doing this?" he demanded.

"No, I am." a hollow voice sounded from the shadows as the sorceress shook her head in a quick negative. "The lovely _Cherry Blossom_ can't risk using any of what little magic she knows here. Much too dangerous to the rest of the world. Besides, did you really believe I would have you bring her to me only to let you harm my new guest?"

Higato near fumed. "Bring her to _you_? _Your_ guest? She is mine, no one else's, ever, in any sense!"

"Tsk, such a one track mind." and the speaker stepped into view.

Sakura's first impulse had been to run to Syaoran now standing before her in the light, but she fought the impulse. Something about him was wrong. Her senses, usually drawn to him like a magnet, recoiled from him as if burned. And his words and voice were not his. Her rational mind took over from her confused emotions and she meticulously examined the apparent warrior from her spot on the floor.__

_Wrong clothes, for one,_ she reasoned. _Last I saw he was all in white, not his battle outfit._

His aura also felt different to her magical senses. Instead of its usual bright green and warmth it was now a darkening forest green and felt very cold. Usually when her aura reached out to his it would seek hers out as well to meld and blend. It did none of that now. Then there were his eyes. The rich tawny color of his eyes, that could either melt or freeze a soul at a single glance, had transformed to a deep charcoal black. She frowned in realization from this split second examination as this fake turned to smirk coyly at her.

"Where is the _real_ Li Syaoran?" she demanded as she stood, her back straight, staff in hand.

The dark twin chuckled and approached her, gently caressing her cheek. "Very observant, My Love. I always knew you were special."

She pulled her face away from his touch, and the painful tendrils of electricity that danced over her skin, and continued to glare. "Where is he?" she demanded again.

Black-eyes Syaoran casually leaned against the altar and waved a hand to the empty space between two pillars. The air seemed to waver and the limp, chained form of the real Li Syaoran abruptly appeared, the dimly glowing figure of the Life Card kneeling somberly at his feet. Sakura made a move to go to her beloved warrior/sorcerer, but was stopped by the _dark one_ gripping her arm. A shock of almost painfully cold electricity shot through her arm from his touch.

"Ah, ah, ah, little sorceress." he chided. "I simply must insist you keep your distance from him. I don't want you trying anything foolish just yet."

"He… he feels so weak." she near whispered.

"That would be because Life is withholding part of his life force from him. He was a bad boy so I had to punish him."

Her green eyes drifted down to the Clow Card kneeling on the cold stones. "Her light is dimmer than I remember."

"Comes from being around death so much." he chuckled in clear amusement. Then he stood and approached the stunned looking Higato. "Now, what shall I do with you, ne?"

Allan shook his head, snapping himself out of his shock at seeing his benefactor resembling his nemesis so completely. He glowered and pounded on the invisible barrier.

"Give me Sakura's heart, like you promised."

The _dark one_ smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I promised no such thing."

Allan blinked. "Nani?"

"Our agreement was, verbatim, I would give you exactly what you deserve."

"I deserve Sakura!"

He smirked again. "No, I think not."

At those words the Life Card rushed over to the Card Mistress, its arms latching tightly around the sorceress's waist, tears already in its eyes. It knew Higato's life would be another life she would not be allowed to bring back. The young Mistress of the Cards seemed to understand what was about to happen and sank to her knees, holding the Life Card in what little comfort she could offer it, stroking its long glowing hair. Both heard a gurgling sound, like that of someone choking. Sakura closed her eyes tight, holding the card firmly as she braced herself against the agonizing sounds that would follow.

"No." the _dark one_ suddenly voiced.

Sakura looked up and saw him holding Higato up by the throat at arm's length effortlessly. The struggling teen's face was turning an ugly shade of purple from lack of air.

"A quick death holds no satisfaction for me and is far too quick a release for you." the _dark one_ continued. "I want to watch the horror and pain flit across your face as you suffer. That is truly a beautiful sight."

Dark Syaoran carried the terrified teen, still struggling in his grip, between two other pillars and tossed him there as if he were weightless. Higato back peddled to regain his balance. Chains suddenly appeared around the pillars and wrapped themselves around his wrists, binding him in the same manner as his unconscious Cousin. Higato looked completely stunned, not quite believing this was happening to him. This wasn't how he had planned this. It wasn't as he had hoped it would be. He tried to scream his protests, but no sound was uttered from his lips. He blinked. The _dark one_ smiled, pleased at his handy work, then turned his back to the captive teen to walk back to Sakura still kneeling with the Life Card.

"Shall we talk, dearest?" the _dark one_ questioned sweetly.

Sakura blinked. "Talk?"

"Hai." He knelt before her, still smiling. "The _Little Wolf_ was very stubborn and refused to tell me anything about you. There is so much I wish to know. I knew that to get you here I had to be very convincing. Taking the _Little Wolf_ seemed just perfect. Don't you agree, My Love?"

She frowned and looked away in disgust.

Dark Syaoran merely chuckled. "So much like Ying Fa, completely stubborn. Hai, I knew her." he answered to the sorceress's surprised expression. "I know everyone on this island. Clow tried to hide her from me, forbade her to ever enter my domain, but I got to know her quite well from a distance. He forgot that I control all matter in this chamber. I created a seeing pool with which to watch them both on the outside, to watch the world grow and change from the one I knew. Ying Fa had such grace and beauty, a spirit and heart like no other. I have to admit though, you far outshine her in all those qualities, my sweet Sakura." and he gently caressed her cheek. "And you are far lovelier in person."

She turned her face away from his touch, refusing to look at him again. Instead of being angered by her reaction as she had expected, he sighed whimsically and ran a hand through her hair. She cringed. His every touch hurt her, like fire and ice at once.

"What is it about you that weakens men's hearts so?" he near whispered. "I have watched the _Little Wolf_ for quite some time, watching for a moment of weakness I could use to trap him. He was the strongest warrior I ever encountered, never once letting his guard down, until you arrived, my _Cherry Blossom_. Even now, I feel your spell."

Sakura blinked and quickly moved away from the evil filled twin of her beloved. Magically, he was her opposite. She felt only cold and pain around him.

"Ne, don't be afraid, dearest Sakura." he tried to soothe quickly, looking genuinely remorseful for causing such a reaction in her. "I've reconsidered my having to kill you. I could never do that to you." 

Sakura felt herself begin to tremble as she pressed herself against the side of the altar, wishing she could just melt into it. 

"I won't hurt you." he continued gently. "All you have to do is agree to stay with me. Onegai. Ever since I was bonded to this body I have had strange and new sensations. I have yearned to have you near. It's strange. I'm supposed to hate you, to try to kill you for your part in Clow's magic, for being the new Mistress of his cards."

She cringed, holding the Life Card tighter to herself, as the _dark one_ once again caressed her hair.

"But this mortal heart refuses to think anything bad of you. Perhaps I have made a poor choice in bodies, perhaps not." He grabbed her hand and she yelped in pain from his dark aura. "Onegai, stay with me and I will lay the Universe at your feet." he pleaded.

Sakura's whole frame shook in fear and pain. How could she fight this creature? He looked so much like her beloved warrior. He _was_ Syaoran, in body and emotion. She looked to the warrior chained and unconscious before her and felt tears touch her eyes. She needed him so much.

"The Universe isn't yours to give." she suddenly found herself saying.

"Not yet." the _dark one_ smiled. "I will give you some time to think over my offer, but I'm sure you'll agree to it. After all, all the lives in this Universe depend on it." and he got to his feet. "And just so you don't try anything while I'm away…" He waved a hand towards the real Syaoran and a glassy substance formed a large bubble formed around him. "This should keep you from getting too close, ne?" Then he smiled and left the chamber.

From his place, chained between two of the massive pillars, Higato Allan observed the dark doppelganger of his Cousin walk away. A small smile appeared on the restrained teen's lips from a thought his twisted mind conjured up. Sakura was now unable to go to her _Little Wolf_ for comfort and reassurance since he was chained, unconscious, and blocked from her touch behind a magical barrier. But she did need to be comforted from everything that had happened within the last hour or so. She would have to come to him. His smile grew wider at the pleasant thought. To have the object of his affection, a beautiful angel, pressed against his heart. It made him tremble. His grey eyes fixed themselves on the sorceress and waited for her to come to him. The magic wielding cheerleader stood slowly, watched by both the curious Life Card and her obsessed stalker. Higato was abruptly dumbfounded when he saw Sakura walk straight forward towards the unconscious warrior instead of him. He tried to scream furiously, but not a sound issued from his throat.

Her eyes never straying from the lifeless form of her beloved warrior/sorcerer, Kinomoto Sakura walked right up to the bubble-like barrier and laid her palms flat against it. For what seemed an eternity she just stood there, still as a statue, scrutinizing the warrior for any sign of returning alertness. There was none to be had. Tears spilled from her eyes as she shut them tight, pressing her cheek to the barrier, wishing for it to fall away. A hand to the barrier still, she moved along its edge to where it overlapped one of the pillars. There she sat, her legs folded elegantly beneath her as she leaned against the column to gaze at her soul mate in hope, her back to the only other teen in the chamber. The Life Card seemed to hesitate for a moment, then curled into the Card Mistress's lap like a child, silently letting her know in its own way that it would have much preferred her as a Mistress than the _dark one_. The troubled sorceress carefully stroked the living card's glowing locks for a moment, then looked down at it.

"You can't give him back any of his life force, can you?" she asked it softly.

Life shook its head sadly.

Sakura sighed. "I didn't think so. You're bound by the same rules as all the other Clow Cards. The one who seals you is your Master. No matter how much you didn't want to do this, you had to obey."

The female Card Captor looked up at Syaoran and felt her eyes begin to mist again. He looked so weak and so pale that her heart ached. He had always been the strong one of their team, fierce, powerful.

But now…__

_You didn't want me to come here because you knew it was dangerous_, she began in thought._ It's dangerous for you too. He means to kill you, I know he does. And when you're gone, what then? What do I do without you?_ She paused as her eyes carefully examined his face. _You and I are of the same soul, Syaoran, but I can barely feel you. You look like you're sleeping, so peaceful. Are you really at peace?_

_No._

She stiffened, enough for the Life Card to feel it, and blinked at the unexpected and faint answer she had heard in her mind.__

_Syaoran?_

_Hai. _His mental voice was very weak, barely a whisper. _I can hardly hear you, Sakura._

_I'm here, Syaoran. I'm right next to you._

_You feel so far._

Tears once again fell from her eyes. _Concentrate on me, on the link. I'm right here, next to you. That… that **thing** put up a barrier so I can't get any closer._

There was a slight pause and Sakura became afraid that they had lost the link, afraid that he had slipped back into his unconscious state. She focused all her thoughts and energies on him, centering her thoughts on their unique bond.__

_I feel you now_, his voice returned in her mind and she sighed in sheer relief. _You shouldn't have come, Sakura. You're in danger here._

_I know, Kero told me, but I couldn't just leave you here, Syaoran. I had to do something._

He sighed in her mind. _Ying Fa…_

A small smile touched her lips as she noticed something. _You sound stronger now._

_You're giving me that strength. I can feel it._ A definite smile was present in his voice. _I think… maybe…_

As Sakura watched intently Syaoran's face twitched, his head bobbing slightly as he tried to raise it. The Life Card noticed the sorceress's body tense again and looked up, noticing the warrior's now frowning face as he began to move. The card leapt to its feet at this scene unfolding before it, incredulity on its face. It had taken a vast portion of the warrior's life force, almost to the point of death as commanded by the _dark one_, so where was he getting the strength to even move? It looked to the sorceress and back to the warrior in rapid succession. Was she the answer? The teen sorcerer's body trembled as he fought to get his weakened limbs moving again. With a great effort he set his feet flat to the stones and forced his legs straight, using the chains binding his wrists for added support to pull himself upright. Sakura's eyes never left him for a moment. Syaoran finally stood on his own, his breath labored from the supreme effort, his eyes remaining closed for the moment. Slowly, they opened and tawny orbs shone brightly at the teen sorceress. A relieved smile tugged up the corners of his lips at seeing her unharmed. She smiled in return as she got to her feet, her hands flat to the barrier, desperate to get to her soul mate. She quickly looked over the bubble, searching for a weakness, pounding at it with her fists to test its strength. It looked unbreakable. She suddenly blinked in realization.

"Oh, sometimes I can be such a baka." she self-berated, taking out the Sword Card.

Syaoran's eyes went wide. "No, Sakura, matte!"

His warning came too late.

No sooner did the glowing circle appear at her feet, to summon the Clow Card, did the entire chamber fill with crackling bolts of dark lightning. And Sakura was their sole target. The energy tore through her lithe body mercilessly, causing her to cry out in agony with each strike. No matter how hard she tried to prevent it the pain she felt arced across her link with Syaoran, letting his experience every excruciating moment. Her agony ripped through him and he howled. Every muscle spasmed uncontrollably as pain sparked across every nerve ending, firing them to life. It was as if they were being shredded to pieces from the core out. The Life Card and Higato could only watch, helpless to help either of them. Allan didn't understand what he was seeing. That the Card Mistress was in agony, that reason was very clear. But why was the warrior reacting the same way? The crackling assault finally ceased as abruptly as it had begun. Sakura hovered there for a moment before collapsing into a heap, unmoving, just as Syaoran went limp in his chains. Life rushed to the sorceress's side in abject worry, forbidden to help, but desperate to know if she was still alive.

A deep silence filled the chamber. As casually as if nothing had happened, the _dark one_ walked back into the vast central room and approached the still body of the Card Mistress. Her wand had returned to its key form, the Clow Card having retreated back to safety. The _dark one_ went down on one knee next to her and gently rolled her over. A slow and shallow breath rose and fell within her chest. Dark Syaoran left his fingers drift over the burns that decorated her skin both in concern and in wonder. He left her side and neared his double, harshly gripping this one's hair to raise his head. Identical burns as Sakura's dotted the young sorcerer's flesh.

"Interesting…" the _dark one_ murmured. He noted his double's raw wrists and returned to the sorceress to examine her wrists. They, too, were worn raw as if she had been chained. "Very interesting…"

Ever so carefully he lifted the teen sorceress off the cold stone ground, cradling her tenderly in his arms, holding her tight to his chest. He grimaced at seeing her so limp, a memory he didn't remember experiencing flaring to life in his mind.

"Gomen ne, sweet Sakura." he near whispered. "I never really wanted you to be hurt." and he carried her away down one of the dark tunnels.

He entered a small anti-chamber, his black eyes scanning the small stone room for a place to deposit his fragile cargo. Finding none he nodded to a spot on the floor and an oval shaped basin appeared. In the blink of an eye it was filled with the softest of materials imaginable to cushion the sorceress's delicate body. The _dark one_ set her down within his newest creation, then merely stood there, black eyes fixed on her injuries in remorse. Part of him agreed with his double, Sakura should have never come into the Gate. This was a guaranteed death sentence for her if she even tried to summon her cards again or tried to use any other kind of magic. But another part berated him for being so weak hearted when it came to her. He couldn't help himself. It had been far too many centuries since he had been alive and since he had sampled the intoxicating pleasures of the flesh. The _dark one_ stretched out at Sakura's side and let his cold fingers trail down her cheeks, following the graceful curve of her neck, and down the satin soft skin of her arm.

"I'm supposed to kill you, precious one." he whispered. "Part of me wants to, to finally have my freedom. But another equal part of me would gladly stay a prisoner here if you simply stayed with me."

He kissed her shoulder ever so tenderly.

"Onegai." he breathed.

 ****

**To Be Continued…**


	19. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 9

DimensionsP19

May 7, 2001

**I'm starting to wrap up this series now, minna, so this will be _the_** chapter with all the action you've been waiting for (Excluding all you hentais out there of course, that will come later... maybe ^_^). After that, one more chapter to conclude everything and I'm done! 

Don't ask me to write another CCS fic for a long while to come, I've got too many other projects lying in the wings that I simply have to get back to (Jonny Quest, Escaflowne, Biker Mice from Mars, and a few originals). 

I'll still be posting on FF.n, just not CCS for a long while to come.

Card Captors "Dimensions II - Test of Evil" ****

By : The MOUSE............................

Keroberus, mighty Guardian Beast of the magical Seal of Clow, felt completely and totally helpless as he paced the length of the Reception Hall back and forth relentlessly. He, Tomoyo, Meilin and Li Lerae had returned to the Hall when it had become clear that their only way into Mummaro's Gate was once again sealed to them. No amount of desperate clawing on the beast's part could even scratch the stones and not one blast of his fiery breath could even scorch them. All he succeeded in doing was tiring himself out and wearing his claws down to stubs from their once sharp points. 

He turned and continued to pace, looking every bit like a caged lion going mad from inactivity. He could hear the room hum and buzz in worry for the missing Card Captors. 

And with reason. 

This was a powerful challenge for them, more powerful than going up against the Death Card, and they had no one with them to guide their actions or help them.

A low growl rumbled in his chest. He was Kinomoto Sakura's and Li Syaoran's Guardian since they were both the Card Captors. He was supposed to be their protector, even when he knew Syaoran could do an excellent job of it himself. 

But he had been unable to do even that. 

He, Keroberus, the greatest Guardian that ever existed! 

He knew he should have been the one to enter the tunnel first before Sakura. He should have had. This whole mess would not have happened if he had only taken the initiative. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty/twenty. All he could do now was hope. 

He turned again with another growl.

__

Onegai, be safe, kids, he pleaded silently.

* * *

Ever so slowly, Card Captor Sakura's senses surfaced from the unconscious oblivion. She forced her eyes open, but saw nothing save blurry shades of dark grey. She blinked her green eyes repeatedly to try to clear her vision, but nothing seemed to help. Instead she relied on her other senses to tell her where she was. Sakura's sense of touch told her she was lying in a basin-like bed filled with silk and feathers. Her magical senses were nearly overwhelmed by the dark energy all around her. And just on the edge of her senses she could feel the faintly glowing auras belonging to Li Syaoran and the Life Card. It was a weak ripple of energy, but enough to let her know they were still alive. Then something shut down around her like a cold and dark blanket and the feel of their auras were gone. It caused her to nearly choke.

Something in her screamed for her to get up, to get moving again. Sakura shifted slightly in the bed, her every nerve ending screaming to life in pain from stiff muscles and the Gate's retaliation to her magic. She managed to roll herself to her side and over the basin's edge with some trouble. She dropped to the unforgiving stone floor, only aggravating the pain she already felt. Using the bed for support and a massive effort on her part, Sakura pulled herself up to her feet. A wave of intense nausea hit the pit of her stomach as her head began to spin. She swallowed hard and stumbled towards one of the walls. She rested her forehead against the cold stones and sighed, waiting for the pain and nausea to subside. Before she even realized it she had begun to cry.

Oh, but it felt so good to cry!

Slowly she sank to her knees against the base of the wall, letting the heaving sobs and heavy tears just come as they pleased. She was overwhelmed, nearing her breaking point. This whole situation was rapidly becoming too much for her to endure, let alone overcome. Higato and Mesuinu's jealousies she could have handled. Eventually they would have lost interest and moved on.

But this?

Mesuinu was now dead and she was given the worst choice of her life. Live in darkness or the Universe ceases to exist. She couldn't see how she was supposed to free Syaoran, the Life Card, and even Higato while fighting against the _dark one_ and the power of Mummaro's Gate. It was near impossible. She was only one teen girl. None of what little magic she knew was of any use in the Gate since it reacted to her the moment she tried to summon her cards. They were her only defense and offense. But so long as she was within the confines of the dark temple she was powerless. Sakura pressed her cheek to the wall in despair.

"Syaoran..." she whimpered ever so softly as she prayed for a miracle, her tears continuing to fall.

"Ne, Beloved, don't cry." a hollow voice pleaded in actual concern, a cold hand gripping her shoulder.

The young sorceress recoiled violently as cold fire raced over her senses. "Stay away from me!" she near shrieked.

The _dark one_ blinked in surprise. "Sakura..." and he laid a hand on her arm.

She knocked it away quickly. "Don't touch me!"

Dark Syaoran looked genuinely hurt by her actions, watching her curl into a tight ball, hiding her face in her arms in real fear. He swallowed hard and carefully reached out a hand to touch her again, his hand hesitating just at the edge of her aura. He caressed the air close to her form, desperately wanting to, but not daring to lay a hand on her.

"I won't hurt you, Beloved. You have my word. All you have to do is give me your word that you will stay here, with me. I will give you everything you may ever desire. You don't have to be afraid of me, sweet one." he whispered soothingly.

"I have _every_ reason to be afraid of you." she retorted harshly from the depths of her arms, her face still hidden from sight.

Black-eyed Syaoran could only stare at her, confused by her reactions. He could easily feel her power laying dormant deep within her, a power so great it closely rivaled the accumulated energies of the Gate. Power so strong should naturally be seeking more power. That was what he understood. Power sought power, was instinctively attracted to it. Even if it was an opposite force, power was power. It would explain why the _Cherry Blossom_ was so completely attracted to Clow Reed's descendant. The _Little Wolf_ was strong, disciplined, untapped magic radiated all around him.

So then why wasn't his own power drawing Sakura's attention?

He looked down at his hands, wondering if maybe he could see the reason for her repulsion. Two pale hands, two arms, a body, a normal looking face... nothing that should cause her this much fear and loathing.

"Why are you so cruel, precious one? Don't you know I would do anything for you? Aishiteru, my precious."

"You know _nothing_ of love." she snapped. "You never will."

He blinked, stung by her words and something within him crumbled to ashes. 

"I... I must attend to some final preparations." he stated as he got to his feet, stumbling slightly. He felt off-balance for some reason. "Feel free to explore the place that will soon become either your home or your tomb." and he walked away, once again leaving her alone.

Sakura waited a moment, then raised her tear-streaked face from her arms to look around. Satisfied that she was really alone she quickly scrambled to her feet and ran out of the small anti-chamber. She had to find the real Syaoran again and find a way to escape this cursed place.

* * *

Li Syaoran's mind drifted between two worlds, that of full consciousness and that of oblivion. He could hear Higato struggling against his chains to free himself, grunting in frustration at the lack of progress. The sound of a faint breeze wafting by caught his ear every so often, letting him know when the Life Card moved around from place to place. Aside from that the vast chamber was silent. This was what worried him the most. The fact that he couldn't hear the Card Mistress breathing. His last sight had been of his beloved Sakura collapsing to the ground after the Gate's vicious attack, an automatic reaction to her light magic. His warning had come too late to stop her. And now he had no way of knowing if she was still alive or...

__

No! She's not dead! She can't be dead!

He couldn't bring himself to even think of her forever gone from his life. He was presently too weak to feel or find her beautifully warm aura. The attack on her had arced across their bond, attacking him as well. He had to find a way to get his life force back to full strength. It was the only way to help Sakura.

"Life Card!" a hollow voice suddenly bellowed.

Inwardly, Syaoran grimaced. _Mummaro_, as he had mentally begun to call him, had returned to no doubt gloat about his apparent victory.

__

If you hurt Sakura, so help me, I will make it my vendetta to make you pay! the warrior screamed mentally in a heartfelt vow.

Quick footsteps neared the chained sorcerer until he could easily smell the stench of death and sweat from his double.

__

Ugh! When was the last time you bathed?

"Life Card, revive him." _Mummaro_ ordered.

Syaoran had a mental double take at this command. 

Why did he want him revived?

What was going to happen now?

He felt Life lay its hands to his chest, over his heart. A split second later a warm wash of energy coursed through him like a bolt of electricity. The shock forced him to inhale deeply, sharply, to fill his deprived lungs as his body almost snapped upright with renewed strength. The Life Card scrambled away from him at this, terrified of its own handy work. 

Once the shock had worn off he allowed himself to glance around the room quickly. Sakura was nowhere in sight. Syaoran stood straight and defiant to his dark twin at this. _Mummaro_ looked midway between being confused and enraged about something as the two glared at each other. The young warrior didn't care much about his enemy's state of mind. He was worried about Sakura and he knew the only one who knew what had happened to her, and where she was, was standing before him. But he also knew that if he kept _Mummaro_ infuriated as he was then he wouldn't be making rational decisions, increasing his chances of escaping and helping his beloved Ying Fa. 

He had to keep him off-balance.

"Where's Sakura?" the _Little Wolf_ growled.

"Resting." _Mummaro_ replied simply. "And being a very unappreciative and uncooperative guest."

Syaoran's frown became slightly confused. _Guest?_

"I do everything in my power to make her comfortable, to be the most gracious of hosts to maybe get her to smile at least once, but she won't even let me near her. Now how rude is that?"

The warrior frowned a smirk at his jailer, suddenly understanding why the dark one was being so gentle and doting to the Mistress of the Cards, despite the fact that she was supposed to be his enemy. Innocent and beautiful Sakura had unwittingly snared him, just like any man who came to know her. No male could resist the jade-eyed beauty for very long. That's why _Mummaro_ had revived him. His thoughts and feelings were all jumbled because of Sakura. He was confused and wasn't exactly sure of what he was doing.

__

Perfect!

"Things not going your way anymore, Mummaro?" he taunted.

"Mummaro? Hai, I suppose you can call me that if you must." He looked at his captive's smirk and raised an eyebrow at him. "You do know I plan to kill you?"

Syaoran actually chuckled, still frowning. "_She_ won't let you kill me."

"_She_ can't stop me!" he scoffed.

"Then why aren't I already dead?"

__

Mummaro's black eyes blinked, stumped. _Hai, why haven't I killed him already?_

The Li Clan's finest warrior continued to smirk as his frown deepened. "You see? You don't want to hurt her. You know that to kill me will hurt her more that you ever could."

__

Mummaro pondered this. _Hai, this is true. I don't want her to ever be hurt in any way._

"And to hurt any of her friends will make her hate you for life." Syaoran continued.

__

Hate me for life? No, no, can't have that.

"You don't want her to hate you. That's her power, you know. She's so pure that you can't help but love her. You want her to love you as much as you love her."

"I do not love her!" he denied.

"You do. Why else are you so dedicated to making her want to stay and to make her happy here? You're in love with her."

"_I am the power of the Gate made flesh! I will not be affected by a simple girl!_" he shouted with all his might.

"You already are! That's why you're doing all this! And that's why you took my old body! You know she loves me. And you think that by having my appearance that will make her love you. You can't make her do anything she doesn't want. She'll always hate you."

__

Mummaro blinked in shock. It was all true. Everything his captive had said was true. The new Card Mistress of Clow would never learn to love him as he had hoped. She was far too bright and he was too dark. He had hoped opposites would attract, but he could see now that her heart would be forever rooted elsewhere. She was tied to this mortal before him. He paused before a determined expression crossed his face. No matter how much he hated this decision, it was the only option left to him.

"Then, no matter her decision, my choice in the matter is clear. I should have done this when she first arrived here." he stated evenly, then turned and walked away.

Syaoran watched his dark double leave at a deliberate pace, horror slowly sinking into his gut. He had wanted to anger his twin, not help him decide this course of action. Sakura's life was now in much more pressing danger than before. He heard violent grunting from where Higato was chained. Turning his head to him he saw his Cousin fighting wildly with his chains to free himself. Blood now stained his wrists and arms, having worn them ran on his shackles. He, too, had realized that Sakura's life depended on how well she could remain hidden. Eventually, though, _Mummaro_ would find her. There were only so many places she could hide and she could only suppress her aura for so long. The captive warrior looked to his own chains, gauging their strength to his own. He had to break free and find his partner. She needed him more than ever now and time was of the essence.

__

Can't break these things like Higato's trying to do, he reasoned. _Only one way._

Summoning a deep inner calm he slowly began to tug his wrists through the restrictive shackles. His hands, being larger than his wrists, were the only things stopping him from being free. His years of intense physical and mental training enabled him to manipulate his hands' joints, effectively dislocating his thumbs just enough to allow his hands to finally slip from their bonds. This done his joints easily realigned, leaving not a trace of this procedure. He rubbed at his worn wrists in satisfaction. Delighted over his escape from his restraints, the Life Card happily clapped its hands and threw its arms around the warrior. He allowed himself a small smile at the card, patting its back gently to get it to release him. It beamed brightly for the first time since its capture.

He chuckled. "Well then, that makes two of us who're glad I'm free."

Then he turned to see his Cousin staring at him in shock, unable to believe that he had gotten free so easily. Syaoran frowned and walked over to him.

"I guess I have to free you too, ne, despite what you did to Sakura?"

Had Higato Allan been able to speak he would have shouted a series of harsh curses at the warrior. Instead, still being under the influence of _Mummaro_'s spell of silence, he contented himself to throw hard kicks at him. Syaoran merely stepped back, out of his legs' reach.

"Hey, you want to stay there like that, that's fine with--" 

He whirled around quickly, his senses screaming wildly for all of his attention at what they had just felt. 

Sakura's aura. 

She was alive and somewhere nearby now. He could barely feel her searching the many dark tunnels and chambers for a way back to this very chamber. Slowly he turned in place as he carefully sought through the dark eddies of magic for the exact direction her presence was radiating from. She was like a bright beam of light, a beacon calling to his soul. Higato now stood to his immediate left, the Card Mistress somewhere in the tunnels ahead of the teen sorcerer. She felt so afraid, so alone. Syaoran closed his eyes, picturing his soul mate in his mind in all her glowing splendor, focusing his whole being on her alone to pierce through the thick darkness that surrounded them to keep them from each other.

__

Sakura? he called with his mind. _Sakura, can you hear me?_

Syaoran?

Are you alright, my Ying Fa?

I... I can't seem to find my way back to you. I'm... I'm lost.

His heart ached at the terrified tremble he heard in her voice. She had always hated being alone in the dark. It terrified her. Fighting against the dark energies that threatened to swallow them up, Syaoran focused his mind on his adored partner and cast a part of his aura along their link. Her presence seemed to suddenly explode into his mind and along his senses. He could feel her trying to reach out to him, needing to feel the reassuring comfort of his warm aura mixing with hers. Syaoran pictured her clearly in his mind, imagining his hand gently caressing her cheek. He could tell Sakura both saw and felt the mental projection as he felt her begin to relax.

__

Shh, be calm, My Love, he whispered soothingly in her mind. _Focus on me. I'll guide you here._

Higato Allan couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips when his Cousin re-opened his eyes. Gone was the deep amber color that marked the lead members of the Li Clan. Instead, Li Syaoran's eyes glowed a scintillatingly brilliant white.

* * *

Dark Syaoran entered the small anti-chamber where he had left the Card Mistress and looked around. The basin-like bed was empty. There was no sign of the lovely sorceress in the dim torchlight. _Mummaro_ growled in ever growing frustration. Unquestionably she was not going to make any of this easy for him. He struck the bed with a clenched fist, making the stone structure explode in a cloud of dust, black feathers, and swaths of dark satin. He turned and stood just within the door of the chamber, looking down the tunnel.

"Where are you, my lovely?" he cooed, his voice quivering in mounting rage.

There was only one direction she could have headed in to avoid running into him. He stalked down the tunnel in that one direction, his black eyes easily piercing the dark.

"Come out, dearest. I promise I won't hurt you." he cooed. "I'll make your death quick." he ended in a low growl.

__

Mummaro sniffed at the stale air, hoping to catch even the slightest whiff of Sakura's intoxicating cherry blossom scent. In these tunnels such a scent would be very distinct and easy to pick out. But there was nothing but dust and mold on the air. Decidedly there were some very definite disadvantages to holding a mortal form. The usually heightened senses he possessed as a wraith of the Gate were greatly dulled now.

"Where are you?" he shouted down the passageway in frustration. His only answer was his own echo.

Dark Syaoran then froze.

He was going to howl in fury when he abruptly felt something.

There!

Just against the edge of his magical senses.

It was like the faint brush of mist against skin, dim yet definite. His rising anger against the Card Mistress almost caused him to miss it completely. He closed his black eyes and concentrated on the light feeling, calling on the power of the Gate to locate and identify it. Slowly, the magical sensation grew in intensity until it felt as if it had been directed at him all along. 

There were two auras at work here. 

Two very distinct presences wafting through the currents of spirit and sensation.

__

Mummaro smiled as he understood. It was the _Little Wolf_'s mind and aura calling out to the lost _Cherry Blossom_, reassuring her that everything would be alright, encouraging her to continue to be brave. Clow Reed's descendant was guiding the lovely Mistress of the Clow Cards to him. She was heading for the main chamber. _Mummaro_ couldn't help but laugh at this apparent step to his victory.

"Hai, _Little Wolf_, call to her. Bring her out into the open. I want you to see her die right in front of you and be helpless to prevent it." He frowned in pure hate. "Your punishment for taking her heart from me."

* * *

With her beloved warrior's mind guiding her back to him, Kinomoto Sakura walked the ill lit passageways of the dark temple, barely glancing at the writings and pictograms carved and painted onto the walls. She kept her eyes focused ahead of her, to the darkness where soon she would see light. She suddenly stopped walking, a small frown knitting her brows at some of the carvings that caught the periphery of her eye. She turned and scanned the ancient Japanese characters carved right into the stone.

There!

Neatly chiseled thousands of years ago was her full name.

She blinked and stared in utter shock. This temple was built thousands of years before she was even born and yet here was her name. Her fingers trailed over the carved characters in disbelief.

__

What's going on? she questioned herself.

__

"... Card Mistress..." a voice whispered on the still, dank air.

Sakura stiffened at the sudden and soft sound. "Nani?"

__

"... the Chosen One..." another voice whispered.

"Who's there?" she questioned the empty tunnel.

__

"... such power..." came yet another hushed voice.

She whirled around, the voice having seemed to come from behind her this time. "Show yourself!"

__

"... she is the one..." another hushed voice breathed definitively.

"Who are you?" she demanded of the dark, fear rising in her throat bitterly.

At a thought she looked back to the wall for an answer. Perhaps one of the carvings would yield some information to calm her racing heart. She gasped and stepped away from the stones in shock. Her name was gone, now replaced by three ominous words: you will die. 

Hollow laughter filled the tunnel deafeningly. Sakura turned quickly in place to find the source of the cackle, fear induced tears streaking down her ivory cheeks. There was nothing. No loudspeakers, no person, no visible source.

Ghosts of the past!

She covered her ears with her hands to block out the laughter and dropped to her knees, her eyes shut tight as she bowed her body to the ground.

__

Syaoran! she cried out mentally.

An incredibly warm and caring sensation abruptly filled her, wrapping around her like a soft blanket. The voices and laughter stopped as her courage and confidence returned, bolstered by this intense feeling.

__

Shhh, Sakura, it's alright now, the distant warrior soothed. _They can't hurt you. They're just voices._

What do they want?

To keep you confused. To make you panic to keep you from thinking clearly.

The teen sorceress sat back on her heels, her hands dropping to her lap in defeat. _I can't do this._

Sakura...

No, Syaoran, he's won. He can't be destroyed from the inside and he'll never let us both leave. He's won.

Card Mistress, don't you dare give up now! She could feel the determined frown in his voice. _Giving up is exactly what he wants because he knows he can't beat us otherwise. We will get through this... somehow. Never give up, that's exactly what you told me._

Sakura sucked in a shaky breath as she opened her eyes. _It just seems so impossible._

Nothing is impossible, my Ying Fa, just hard. His aura began to gently tug at her once again. _We'll do this together._

She wiped her tears away, a tiny smile touching her lips. _Hai, together._

She squared her shoulders in sudden confidence and forced herself to her feet, her foot kicking something buried in the dust. Curious, she paused. It had sounded like metal and leather. Tentative hands reached out and brushed the dust and sand away from the hidden object. Worn, guilded leather appeared beneath her fingers. She blinked and cleared away more dust. It was a long scabbard sheathing a sword. A symbol on both the hilt and the scabbard caught her eye. Guilded in gold and silver was Clow Reed's own seal. Sakura laughed softly in disbelief.

A weapon from Clow.

A defense for the magically defenseless.

How had he known?

Kero's words echoed in her mind. _Expect the unexpected._

The cheerleader picked up the sword and hugged it to herself. _Domo arigatou, Clow-sama._

Sakura gave the dust around her a wide sweep with her hand. She sneezed and sat back on her heels. There was nothing more. With a small frown, she looked at the weapon lying in her arms. This was a clue from Clow Reed himself from three centuries prior.

They had to use this weapon somehow.

She stood quickly then and ran down the dark tunnels, clutching the weapon close to her chest. Syaoran's mind tugged at her own, guiding her down the vast labyrinth of passageways. With each new turn his presence grew stronger against her magical senses. And somewhere behind her she could feel the looming cold shadow that was her soul mate's dark twin. Sakura pushed herself for more speed. She wanted to keep as much distance from this one as possible. A near overwhelming sense of danger emanated around him now whereas before there had only been a sense of want. Onwards she ran, following the pull of her soul mate's presence. The only sounds she heard were her heels hitting hard stone and her own panting breath. There was nothing else save a deep silence. Turning another corner she could finally see one of the arched doorways heading into the main chamber. She sprinted the last meters to the illuminated room. She burst past the threshold into the light with a growing smile. Just ahead she could see the Life Card circling the still chained and silent Higato Allan in curiosity. 

And before them stood Syaoran. 

She wasn't at all surprised to see his eyes glowing a pure white. Somehow she understood the why and how this had happened, even if she couldn't quite describe it to herself in words. Something deep inside her told the reason and the method, but not in any way that was easily explainable. All she had were feelings.

Syaoran began to blink, the rich reddish ocher of his eyes returning as Sakura ran closer. He readily returned the bright and relieved smile she gave him, warmly gripping her shoulders to hold her to his heart when she was near enough. She buried her face in the crook of his neck for a moment, then pulled back to meet his worried eyes, her own telling him she was fine now. Sunset gold orbs lowered to the weapon the sorceress held clutched to herself.

"What's this?" he questioned.

Her smile became confident for their future. "A gift from Clow Reed."

"Gift?"

She handed him the sword, which he promptly unsheathed. A clean, engraved blade gleamed in the chamber's light as if this was the first time this weapon was being used. The warrior looked it over in awe. The sword was ancient, beautifully crafted as only the ancient smithies could do, and perfectly balanced in his hand. He could feel the faint eddy of magic around it. He examined the carvings on the blade and smirked at the ancient Chinese spell written there in blessing.

"_I wield the large sword of Heaven to cut down specters in their five shapes; one stroke of this divine blade disperses a myriad of these beings._" he read aloud. Syaoran smiled. "Bless the man." he breathed.

In the blink of an eye he whirled around and used this new weapon to slice through Higato's chains. Allan could just stare in surprise, his grey eyes questioning his Cousin.

The warrior frowned at him. "I'm not heartless. No matter what you may have done, you're kin and don't deserve to be left behind. The Clan will be your judge, not the Gate." He then inspected the blade for any damage from cutting the chains and smirked at Sakura when he found none. "A very good blade Clow-sama had."

"I feel better knowing you have it now." she admitted, laying a hand to his heart.

"Ah, so that's what happened to Clow's sword." a voice mused from one of the chamber's entrances.

Syaoran, acting on pure protective instinct, immediately pushed his beloved sorceress behind himself to guard her from harm, the sword held before him to ward off the interloper. Higato stood at the defensive next to his Cousin. As much as he hated Syaoran it was nothing compared to how much he loathed the _dark one_. For once the two Cousins agreed on something. The Card Mistress had to be protected.

Dark Syaoran chuckled in amusement. "Ooo, two mighty Li men against poor little me all alone. And one of them has a magic sword." He near snarled. "How pitiful."

With a magically silenced howl Higato raced forward towards the dark one, murder in his eyes for his foe, ignoring the cries of warning from the Card Captors. For the little time he had known this creature of darkness it had managed to systematically ruin everything about his life. Sakura hated him, no doubt, for life. His Clansmen would never forgive him any of the actions he took against his Cousin. He had nothing left to lose. Honor was gone, but he figured he could at least go down fighting. He would be remembered for that.

__

Mummaro glanced at the approaching teen warily. "You bore me, Higato."

With a flick of the dark one's hand Allan was knocked off his feet and sent flying through the air against one of the chamber's massive pillars. He dropped against its base, momentarily stunned. Chains appeared from out of nowhere, snaking around the pillar to wrap tightly around Allan's chest, neck and head. He struggled wildly, silently, against these bonds that just wouldn't yield, only tighten painfully. The Life Card turned away, shutting its eyes tight as it covered its ears. Sakura buried her face in Syaoran's back to keep herself from seeing what would inevitably happen next. The warrior/sorcerer, too, averted his eyes. No one wanted to see anyone die when they couldn't prevent it. There followed a dull, sickening crunching sound and a gurgle of a final breath being expelled from crushed lungs. The Card Captors shuddered at these sounds. Another senseless death. _Mummaro_'s gleeful cackle filled the air.

"I do so enjoy the looks of pure terror on their faces when they die." he gloated, clapping his hands happily.

"Monster." Sakura hissed.

__

Mummaro heard her, his head turning to see her still pressed protectively to her _Little Wolf_'s back. Syaoran blinked at the expression of hurt that flitted across his doppelganger's face from the sorceress's curse. He was still affected by her, still loved her. The warrior straightened ever so slightly. This meant Sakura was safe for a moment more. The _dark one_'s frown then returned.

"I did this for you, precious one." dark Syaoran growled to the Card Mistress. The male Card Captor couldn't help but feel a twinge of possessive jealousy at the way this creature spoke to Sakura. It was far too tender. "I just rid you of one more of your nuisances."

"He didn't deserve to die like that, no matter what he did." Sakura trembled, pressing closer to her soul mate.

His frown deepened. "Ne, you're a hard one to please, my lovely." he muttered.

Sakura's green eyes flashed at him angrily from over her warrior's shoulder. "I want _nothing_ from you!"

His frown turned into a deep glower. "You'll beg me soon enough."

__

Mummaro raised a hand almost casually, dark mist collecting in the form of a large orb in his palm. Syaoran's body tensed, ready for anything. The dark doppelganger turned his wrist just slightly to the Card Captors and the mist began to take on a more elongated form. In a heartbeat a gleaming sword of blackened steel had formed in his hand. He smirked triumphantly at the Card Captors, confident beyond measure of his own skills and victory, watching in barely concealed amusement as his twin took up a defensive fighting stance, keeping the sorceress behind him. The dark one barely moved his free hand, scarcely a twitch, but causing Sakura to be tossed aside magically, away from her armed protector.

Li Syaoran turned in surprise. "Sakura!" he called to his stunned girlfriend in worry as she struggled to slowly pick herself up from the hard stones.

__

Mummaro laughed. "Worry more about what's in front of you." he taunted the warrior. He bowed to him in a mocking gesture. "Shall we dance, _Little Wolf_?"

Syaoran growled in menace and regained his fighting stance. "I'll send you back to the darkness that spawned you." he ground in promise.

Sakura shook her head free of the impact-induced daze as she felt the Life Card help her kneel up. For a moment she heard nothing. The chamber was completely and eerily silent. Then a voice she would recognize, even in her deepest sleep, let loose a war cry. The female Card Captor whirled around in time to see her Syaoran and dark Syaoran rush at each other, swords held ready to strike. The fighters stopped just short of each other, their weapons colliding with a resounding crash. The teen sorceress had the hardest time keeping track of their movements. Every move they made was made a rapid blur from almost inhuman speed. Sakura made sure to keep her thoughts still and silent lest she distract her champion from this fight.

The young warrior blocked a blow from his dark double and leapt out of the way of an intended kick. He growled and swept forward for his own attack.

Lunge... and miss…

Retreat...

Swipe... and miss…

Kick...

Kick...

Block...

Parry...

Dodge...

Lunge...

Thrust... and miss…

Kick...

Kick...

Swipe...

Parry...

Swipe... 

Block!

__

Mummaro was growing incensed that his opponent was lasting this long against him. Neither of them had managed to land a worth blow yet. But the _Little Wolf _was tiring, dark Syaoran could see it on his face and in his movements. The _dark one_ threw sword blow after blow, kick after kick, being relentless in his attacks on his double.

Then it happened.

An opening in Syaoran's defenses.

Dark Syaoran smiled a pleased, evil grin and swung his sword at the unprotected area. Steel bit into flesh effortlessly, drawing blood from a fresh wound in the warrior's side. Syaoran cried out, his wail of pain mirrored by Sakura's own cry as she toppled to the floor, clutching at her own bleeding side. The _Little Wolf_ stumbled back, managing to stay on his feet, and shot a worried glance to his beloved soul mate. She was writhing slightly in pain, succeeding in keeping her tearing eyes on her warrior. Fury rose within the Li Clan's future leader. _Mummaro_, in hurting the warrior, had also hurt the sorceress. No one was allowed to hurt Sakura. He glowered at his black-eyed twin, noting the surprise on this one's face.

"So, you really are linked." dark Syaoran murmured. "How very interesting."

Taking advantage of Syaoran's diverted attention, _Mummaro_ struck quickly and without warning. With the butt of his sword he struck the warrior in the face, stunning him just long enough to slice at his shoulder. The warrior/sorcerer stepped back in instinct, but not far enough. He voiced his pain, dropping his sword in both agony and surprise from the move, unable to hold his weapon any longer. Each slice of the dark blade felt like cold fire to the struggling fighter. Not far away from the battle identical wounds, as that of the sorcerer's, manifested themselves on the Card Mistress's body. She grit her teeth hard to keep herself from screaming, small whimpers escaping her throat. Silently she wondered how her soul mate could still function under such physical torture. Syaoran's eyes constantly flickered back and forth, between his beloved Sakura and his hated dark double, as he was forced back against one of the pillars by menacing sword swipes. His injuries hurt atrociously from every move he was forced to make to avoid the dark blade. Syaoran saw his girlfriend holding her wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding and the pain as the Life Card watched helplessly. Apologetic remorse filled him at the fact that she had to suffer every little thing he felt during this fight. He saw her abruptly struggle to stand, helped by the Life Card, just as his retreat was finally cut off by the pillar. The stone felt cold against his back. The sharp point of a cold sword tapping the underside of his chin drew his attention back to his opponent.

__

Mummaro sneered victoriously at his helpless and injured twin. "I always believed the great Li Xiao Lang was unbeatable." He took a swipe at the warrior's thigh, opening a deep gash. Both Card Captors cried out in pain from identical wounds, the sorceress falling to the floor again. "I guess I was wrong, ne?"

"Onegai..." Sakura pleaded in tears, dragging her injured body across the hard stones. "Stop this... onegai..."

Syaoran saw the dark one turn to the Mistress of the Cards, an expression of anguish on his face at the torment she was forced to suffer. "I cannot stop this, precious one. Only you can. Two words, dearest. Two words and all this comes to an end."

"Sakura, no..." the warrior begged his love, suddenly understanding what she was planning to do.

The blood stained sword returned to the _Little Wolf_'s throat in menace. "Quiet, you!" He smiled at the sorceress. "Two words, sweet one." _Mummaro_ prompted.

Sakura hesitated. "Will... will you let him go without further harm?"

Syaoran shook his head as best he could with the sword to his neck. "Sakura..."

"I said, quiet!" the dark one hissed, pressing his weapon hard to his prey's windpipe. 

Darkness made flesh looked at his lovely prize, debating the soundness of letting her have this one request of him. Letting the warrior/sorcerer go would make her infinitely happy, but he was also a danger to the safety of the Gate... wasn't he? He paused. No, one man was hardly a menace for all his power. The _Little Wolf_ had no magic near strong enough to reach the Gate so far underground after he left.

"Two words and I will let him go." the _dark one_ finally agreed.

__

Sakura, onegai...Syaoran pleaded in her mind.

__

If you live then we all stand a chance to defeat him, she reasoned.

__

Don't do this!

It's the only way left. I have faith in you, you won't let him win. She closed her eyes, her voice a bare hush. "I'll... I'll stay."

The _dark one _smiled broadly in victory. "Honto ne, My Love?"

Tears fell from her closed eyes. "H-Honto."

He chuckled. She was his now. The lovely Mistress of the Clow Cards, the future's most powerful sorceress of all time, was truly and definitely his now. He took a step back from Syaoran, the dark sword vanishing into a puff of black smoke. He looked down on him in smug contempt and disgust.

"You have a few moments to say goodbye." he ground and walked to the center of the chamber.

The Card Captors scrambled over to each other, falling into each other's arms and clinging to each other tightly. Sakura wept openly in the arms of her partner, her face buried in the warm crook of his neck to forever imprint his scent on her senses. Syaoran held her as tight as he dared over both of their injuries, tangling his fingers in the silk of her hair, still not daring to accept the sacrifice she had just made.

__

Why, Sakura? he questioned redundantly. _Why are you doing this?_

Because it's the only way. 

She pulled back just enough to be able to look into his devastated sunset colored eyes, noting the tears glistening on his cheeks. 

__

Him... this place... we'll never be able to destroy them from the inside since our magic sets it off. It all has to be destroyed from the outside. He'll never let me leave, but you...

I can't do it knowing you're in here. And even with the rest of my Clan helping me we still don't have enough magic to do that.

With hesitant and trembling hands she reached for the Key of Clow hanging at her throat. She took it off and dangled it from its chain for a moment, just staring at the magical item. Setting her jaw she slipped it over Syaoran head. He blinked in shock at the move. He couldn't believe she was doing this. Sakura then held up her hands, palms up, and the Book of Clow appeared from out of nowhere. She looked at the vessel for the powerful cards long and hard, then held it out to her boyfriend. His hands couldn't quite reach for it. To take the book would mean that she would definitely die.

"Sakura, I can't..." he whispered.

She inhaled shakily, eyes on the ancient tome. "I transfer full ownership and control of the Clow Cards to you, Syaoran." she breathed, forcing the item into his hands. "They'll obey you now." She met his eyes. "If there was any other way..."

She let the rest of her hushed comment hang unspoken. There was no need to say it.

His fingers trembled slightly as he caressed her cheek. "I just wish it didn't have to be you to have to go through this. We... We never got enough time together..."

Sakura laid a hand to his heart. "We'll have time enough soon." she assured in a weak sob, a very slight and shaky smile adorning her lips.

He understood and the corners of his mouth turned up subtly, a languid tear tracing a salty trail down his cheek. "All of infinity"

Syaoran's expression became solemn once again as he cupped Sakura's face in his hands tenderly. He wanted to forever engrave her whole presence and appearance on his heart and soul. Part of him was silently glad he was going to die at the same moment she would when the Gate would be destroyed. He would never have to go on with a single moment without her in his life. That thought of existing without her was far too painful to bare. Knowing what was going to happen wrenched at his heart. There had been so many things he had wanted to show her of his homeland, of his family, the wonders of pristine nature in the neighboring islands. So many things he wanted to tell her, ancient secrets and magic known only to his clan, the true depth of his feelings for her. It was his greatest fear after he had gotten to know the ethereal Mistress of the Cards, to never live long enough to bare his all to her. And he would never know if she would have accepted him in the way that he had so dearly hoped. 

A shaky sigh escaped his lips as he trailed his thumb over her trembling bottom lip. "I never got a chance to really tell you... to show you... just how much I love you, my Ying Fa." he whispered hoarsely.

She touched his smooth cheek, no longer trying to hold back her tears. "Your eyes told me, my Xiao Lang, showed me, everyday... And, in a little while, you'll be able to tell me again... in a whole different way." 

Silently she wondered how it would feel to be dead, if it would truly be so different. 

Would they still be so deeply in love? 

Her fingers strayed to his lips and she swallowed hard. 

"Aishiteru, Syaoran."

In a quick move he pulled her close yet again, crushing her to his heart, and kissed her soft and yielding lips, practically assaulting her. She responded by holding on to him for dear life, her fingers tangling in his soft hair. Neither wanted to concentrate on anything save this embrace, to sear it onto their hearts. Their kiss had turned into a frantic one, tongues meeting and teasing for what could be the last time. Syaoran wanted more of her; wanted to somehow deepen a kiss that couldn't deepen anymore; wanted to somehow mold himself into her so that they would never ever be apart as so he wouldn't have to leave her when this kiss ended.

"Time's up." growled the _dark one_ suddenly.

The soul mates reluctantly pulled apart from their final embrace, staying forehead to forehead for a moment longer, sharing a breath. Neither yet dared to let go. To do so meant the end.

"Aishiteru, Sakura." the young warrior breathed.

Sorrowful emerald eyes met the drowning fires of his eyes. A fleeting smile touched her lips, if only for an instant._ I'll see you soon, My Beloved_, she sent him tenderly.

He swallowed hard and nodded. _Until then, My Angel._

Mummaro glared at them both in clear and growing impatience. "If you two are quite through..." he growled, annoyed. 

Then, not bothering to wait for a response, dark Syaoran waved a hand towards his double, surrounding him in a black bubble much like the one Mesuinu had used to bring the warrior to the Gate in the first place. 

"Sayonara, _Little Wolf_." he cackled and the sphere blinked out of existence.

As _Mummaro_ laughed gaily in celebration, the Life Card floated over to the immobile Card Mistress and wrapped its arms around her shoulders in sympathy of her plight. Sakura leaned against the gentle card, her cheek to its shoulder, and stared at the spot where Syaoran had once been. She closed her eyes, a deep calm suddenly invading her senses and heart.

"It'll all be over soon." she mumbled.

* * *

The Clansmen gathered in the estate's massive Reception Hall scattered to get out of the way as a large black sphere appeared in their midst. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the bubble vanished leaving behind its only passenger kneeling on the hardwood floor: Li Syaoran. Still too stunned by his sudden arrival to move yet, his Clansmen could only watch as the battered and bloodied warrior stood on wobbly legs. Keroberus was the first to recover from his initial shock and take a few steps forward. The mighty Guardian Beast of the Seal saw the young warrior/sorcerer look down at a book he cradled in his hands, his amber eyes glistening with tears. 

The Beast gasped.

Syaoran was holding both the Book and the Key of Clow.

The future Clan leader took out two cards from the book, his hand trembling as he stared at them. Concerned and curious, his Clansmen began to approach him. They were stopped by yet another surprise from the warrior. Clow's magical circle appeared beneath his feet as he called forth his Clan's sword.

He tossed the two cards out before him. "_Earthy! Death! Release!_" he commanded, striking both cards with his sword.

In a swirl of mist the two cards began to take on a new form. Earthy, like all the other element cards, took on a female form. Its long robes consisted of fabric, stone and earth here and there. At it's side floated Death, a dark cloak much like that of the Shadow Card, a deadly scythe in its pale hand. Their new Master looked at them both and swallowed the painful knot threatening in his throat.

"Death Card, end all the dark magic and energy contained within Mummaro's Gate. Earthy Card,..." His expression was pained when he hesitated. "Destroy the Gate completely." he ordered.

The living cards obeyed without question, fading through the floor as if it were no more than water. Flanked by Meilin, Tomoyo and Lerae, Keroberus cautiously approached the now trembling warrior. Syaoran felt rather than saw them draw near.

"Xiao Lang?" his Mother questioned softly.

"It'll all be over soon." the warrior stated flatly.

"What will be over, Li?" asked Tomoyo.

"Life." was all he replied.

The Guardian blinked at this and came around him to see his face. Syaoran's eyes were closed, an expression of anguish on his face, tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Where's Sakura? What happened?" the Beast demanded gently.

"I... I underestimated her again. I didn't... didn't know she was capable of making such a sacrifice." Syaoran faltered in answer. "She... gave me the Book and Key of Clow and just... stayed. She knew he'd never let her leave."

"Who would never let her leave?" Meilin asked her Cousin carefully.

"Mummaro... the power of the Gate made living... using my body, the one I lost to the Portal Card all those months ago..."

He suddenly let himself drop to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks in salty rivers. He didn't care what his Clan thought of him for showing such a weakness. He didn't care about anything anymore except what was going to happen soon.

"Forgive me, Sakura." he whispered. "To free you from that monster... I have to kill you."

* * *

Dark Syaoran twirled in place, laughing, near euphoric with joy. He had won. Not _the_ victory he had originally planned for, but that could wait. For now he had triumphed over the _Little Wolf_ in winning his prize: the delectable Mistress of the Cards, Kinomoto Sakura. He would enjoy her company very much. Then, when he would finally tire of her presence, if ever, he would kill her and free his darkness into the unsuspecting Universe. If anything he was patient. After centuries of waiting, what were a few more years? Everything would fall into place in due time. Everything had been meticulously planned over the millennia. Clow's descendants would be the first to go since they dwelt right above the Gate. They wouldn't move. He knew their mentality. The Clan would stay because they wished to remain near the Mistress of the Cards. The _dark one_ smiled at a thought. The Clan's suffering would be even greater if Sakura lived for long decades before he killed her. Their knowing she was still alive and they couldn't do anything to save or protect her from him would be a deep soul torture for them.

"Ne, how shall we celebrate, my precious?" _Mummaro_ suddenly smiled at Sakura.

She completely ignored him, still wrapped comfortingly in the Life Card's arms, still staring off at nothing.

The _dark one_ frowned slightly. "Smile, my lady. Here, I can make anything your heart may desire… with certain exceptions, of course."

Sakura remained silent.

"Just make a wish, dearest. Your wishes will be my commands from now until the end of time."

A familiar tingle reached the edge of Sakura's strained senses, a feeling she easily recognized from her five years of experience. She raised her head from Life's shoulders and continued to look ahead of herself at nothing for the moment.

"Any wish?" she suddenly questioned.

__

Mummaro smiled broadly, pleased she was finally responding to him. "Hai, Love, any wish."

The tingling sensation grew stronger against her senses as her green eyes met his black ones boldly, a hateful frown marring her features.

"I want you to die." she bit out.

His expression fell at her words. A loud rumbling and a baleful howl filled the chamber as the Earthy and Death Cards manifested themselves. Pillars of stone thrust through the walls, floor and ceiling at every conceivable angle while the dark form of Death floated towards the dark crystal rings encircling the chamber. Dark Syaoran registered disbelief and some fear at this new development. This was a far cry from what he had expected to happen now. An attack had never been a consideration. He was supposed to have won. Clow's descendants were supposed to have been defeated. The roof of the Gate began to crumble from the Earthy Card's attack, dropping large chunks of stone down on both the _dark one_ and the sorceress.

Dark Syaoran rounded on the passive Mistress of the Cards. "He may destroy me and my Gate, but your _Little Wolf_ kills you as well!" he shouted over the rumbling.

Sakura's expression was placid. "So be it!" she voiced.

__

Mummaro roared and turned back to the two cards destroying his temple. The sorceress would be of no help to him in this. She was obviously prepared to die. His black eyes fixed on the Death Card hovering around the dark quartz rings skirting the ceiling. As he watched, each time the somber card would touch the crystal, the near black matter would lighten and the _dark one_ could feel his powers drain at each touch. Dark Syaoran raised his arms to the two attacking Clow Cards, a ferocious expression on his face. Black lighting seemed to erupt from his hands, encasing his two enemies in cages of pure and painful dark energy. The magical beings writhed and contorted within their confinements, the Death Card's agonizing howl drawing a sadistic grin of pleasure from the _dark one_. _Mummaro_ ignored Sakura's pleas to stop torturing the now helpless cards. She wanted him dead, he knew that for certain. He had no intention of granting her that particular wish. He knew if he could sufficiently damage these two cards with the power of the Gate, then they would be eternally powerless to ever stop him. The _dark one_ could feel Clow Reed's creations weakening with ever volley. Dark Syaoran allowed himself a victorious laugh. 

"_No one can ever stop me!_" he announced confidently to the chamber.

His triumphant expression suddenly changed to one of shock, his frame jerking slightly. The lightning ceased immediately and the cards were freed. _Mummaro_ slowly looked down at his own chest. Protruding out of him, where his heart was, was nearly a foot of forged, sharpened steel, a dark red itchor dripping from it. The blade was then pulled back out the way it had gone in. Stunned and clutching at his wound, the _dark one_ turned around stiffly, coming face to face with his Angel of Retribution.

"Meet _Miss No One_." Sakura ground.

Seeing its golden opportunity, the Death Card wasted no time in descending on the mortally injured dark entity to finish the job his former Mistress had started. _Mummaro_ cried out, his protests strangled in the black folds of the Death Card's cloak. When it finally released its prey, all that fell to the stone floor was a now ashen and inanimate body. Sakura stared at the dead body, her form beginning to tremble. Seeing Syaoran, even this double of the _Little Wolf_, looking so dead was a painful sight. She was barely aware of Earthy and Death resuming their ordered tasks, or of the Life Card tugging at her arm to pull her out of danger unsuccessfully. Her emerald eyes alternated between the body of the floor and the bloodied sword still clutched in her hands. The sorceress was oblivious to the rubble once again falling all around her, nor did she feel the impact of large stones striking her body and opening new bleeding wounds. She was numb from what she had been forced to do.

She had stabbed someone in the back.

True, it had been the living incarnation of Mummaro's Gate's collected energies and, true, it had been inhabiting a body that had been dead for several months now and should have stayed that way, but to Sakura it was still shocking. Her, the teen everyone called innocent and kind, had killed someone. Her mind couldn't get passed that, no matter how much she knew she had done this to save the two Clow Cards and to stop the _dark one_.

Then a bright flash exploded before her eyes and all went dark.

* * *

Li Meilin Rae carefully dabbed her Cousin's bleeding injuries in hopes of stemming the blood flow. Only seconds before it had seemed as if something heavy had struck him and he had crumpled to the floor with a mighty gash on his head. Their Clansmen had gathered around all around the fallen warrior, worried and wondering where all these new injuries were coming from. Meilin looked to Daidouji Tomoyo busy bandaging the warrior's arm while mighty Keroberus and Li Lerae watched on in avid interest. The Chinese girl couldn't understand what was happening to the warrior that had once been promised to her. She knew he was in extreme pain, yet a peaceful smile adorned his lips. It was as if he didn't fear what was happening. A new gash suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"What's happening to him?" Meilin demanded as she mopped up a new flow of blood.

"He is mirroring the Card Mistress's injuries." the eldest of Elders replied before Keroberus could even open his mouth.

The Beast looked at the wizened men with a small frown. "How long have you known?"

"From the moment Xiao Lang announced he and she were partners. It is a part of the Legend of the Two."

"I have never heard of this part to the legend." Lerae voiced, hiding her confusion expertly.

"It was withheld to make sure any and all claims could be verified and validated." another Elder replied.

"What's the full legend?" Tomoyo thought to query, curious.

The youngest of the seven Elders stepped forward at this and cleared his throat. 

_

> "If ever there be two to hunt for the cards of magic, let them be male and female. Let them feel animosity, let them feel jealousy, let them feel compassion, and let them feel love. The Card Master and the Card Mistress will be of one soul, feeling all from the other as if it were their own. They will share the greatest of joy, they will share most excruciating of pain. The very moment one of the pair should perish, the other will also enter the great beyond at their side. Let neither survive the other, let them be together throughout eternity."

_

Meilin's terra cotta eyes went wide at this, her hands clutching fistfuls of Syaoran's shirt. "But… he just ordered the cards to destroy the Gate… with Sakura still in it!"

Everyone fell silent in realization. With the Mistress of the Cards within Mummaro's Gate at its moment of collapse, she would most certainly be crushed and killed. And, if the legend held true, so would the Clan's future leader. So far, by all present appearances, this would certainly be the case. All those gathered in the Reception Hall remained quiet in respect and grief of the expected loss.

Even in his semi-conscious state, Syaoran was aware of the somber silence reigning around him. He could hear the occasional sad sniffle and awkward shuffle of feet from his Clansmen. 

He understood. 

They all knew, much like he did, that he was going to die. 

It was inevitable. 

The young warrior was resigned to his Fate, secure in the knowledge that he would soon be with his sorceress and she would finally be free of Mummaro's Gate. These were the only thoughts that eased the pain in his heart at what he had to do to accomplish this. On the edge of his weakening senses the warrior could feel the two Clow Cards beginning to return to him, their task completed. He could easily feel Sakura's agony from so far away. She felt so weak, her aura a chaotic jumble. But, for some reason his muddled mind couldn't fathom, her waning presence seemed to be getting closer as the two Clow Cards drew nearer. Syaoran could hear his Clansmen abruptly begin to babble amongst themselves as he sensed the cards arrive in the Reception Hall. 

Something was odd. 

He could sense a third card in their company and the Card Mistress felt so impossibly close now. 

With a supreme effort he forced himself back to complete consciousness and willed his eyes to open, if only a slit. His dulled amber eyes saw his four Sisters weeping softly at the edge of the large crowd with his Mother trying to comfort them. The Elders all had their heads bowed in respect. Meilin was cradling his head in her lap while Tomoyo tended to his numerous injuries. Both carefully watched his amber eyes scanning his surroundings. Syaoran looked from one girl to the other, noting the heavy tears in their eyes, before turning his head in the direction of the cards that had just returned from their mission. Keroberus was standing with them, seemingly talking to them. He figured that was possible. They were magical creatures created by the same man. Communication must have been easy for them. His tiring eyes abruptly caught sight of the third card, its glowing white robes and long pale hair floating on an imperceptible breeze.

The Life Card.

It seemed to be keeping the bulk of its robes wrapped protectively around something cradled effortlessly in its arms. The _Little Wolf_ focused what little he could of his failing powers on that bundle to discern its contents and felt his senses become practically assaulted by the ever so familiar aura there. Despite his injuries and despite his pain Syaoran rolled to his side to push himself up in a half lounging, half-sitting position, a pleading, grasping hand reaching out to the Life Card.

"… Sa-… ku-ra… Sakura…!" he called to the card in an agonized, desperate cry.

Everyone, save the three Clow Cards and the Guardian Beast of the Seal, looked at the severely injured warrior as if he had gone mad from pain and grief over the loss of his sorceress. This was clearly not the lovely Mistress of the Cards he was calling to. This was simply a new Clow Card yet to be sealed. Yet the warrior seemed convinced the Japanese girl was there.

Keroberus smiled at the three magical creations before him, nodding once in urging. "Bring her over to him." he ordered gently.

Flanked by Earthy and Death, the Life Card floated forward, through the part made by the curious crowd, towards the woozy yet hopeful warrior of the Li Clan. The card held the bundle carefully and tenderly to itself as if it were carrying a fragile child. When it was near enough to the young sorcerer it kneeled down. A happy smile was on its face. Magically its robes began to unfold and peel away from the object hidden within. A surprised united hush fell over the gathered crowd.

There, lying unconscious in the Life Card's arms, was a living, breathing, dusty and severely injured Kinomoto Sakura.

"She's alive." were the words whispered happily through the throngs of relatives.

Sad tears were replaced by smiles as all watched the wounded warrior struggle to cradle his soul mate in weak arms, both Meilin and Tomoyo joining the couple in a group hug. Syaoran pressed Sakura to his chest, relieved beyond words at the feel of her heart still beating within her. Tomoyo suddenly pulled back from them and fished out her video camera to capture this moment on film while Meilin kept her hands on her Cousin's shoulders to help support him in a sitting position. With a trembling hand the _Little Wolf_ tenderly brushed the stone dust from the _Cherry Blossom_'s soft cheek, watching her long lashes beginning to flutter.

"… Sa-… kura…" he called mellifluously.

A sliver of emerald green shone through her barely opened eyelids. "… Syao-… ran…?" came a hoarse whisper from her lips.

"… Hai…" he smiled, feeling his consciousness beginning to slip away again. "… We… did it…"

The barest of smiles curled up the corners of her mouth. "… It's… over…"

"… Hai…" 

His dizziness finally won out and he let his Cousin gently lower him to his back as he fought with his swimming senses to continue holding Sakura close to his heart. 

"… I'll… never let… you… go… ever again… Ying… Fa…" he managed to whisper, his eyes closing.

Sakura's eyes were already closed, her hand curling into the tattered silk of his shirt. "… Xiao… Lang…" she murmured.

Then both fell limp and silent.

Worried at this, Meilin checked both of their pulses. She sighed a small smile. "They're alright." she informed her family members and friends. "They just passed out."

There was a collective sigh of relief as Tomoyo faced the grinning Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Kero, what happened?"

The mystical lion smiled to the teen videographer. "According to the Life Card that dark thing in the Gate was too busy celebrating that it never felt Earthy and Death coming for it. When it finally did the cards had already started their attacks. That dark thing tried to stop them, but Sakura managed to stop it, giving Death enough time to come down and kill it for good. That's when Life said Sakura got hit by some debris and passed out. The Life Card wanted Sakura to live. It convinced both Death and Earthy that Sakura had to survive the destruction of Mummaro's Gate because it was her destiny to capture all the Clow Cards. They protected her from the rest of the debris, then wrapped themselves around her to bring her up through all that rock and earth separating us from the Gate."

"But the Life Card is a free and unsealed card." terra cotta eyed Meilin stated. "The way I understand it is it didn't have to do anything to help her."

"That's true."

"So why did it want to help Sakura?"

"It wants her to be its Mistress." he responded simply, the Life Card smiling sweetly in agreement.

There was a slight pause as everyone let the Beast's words sink in. The Card Mistress was indeed someone very special to have a free card fight for her. At an unspoken signal from Li Lerae, a number of attendants moved forward and gently lifted the unconscious pair of magic users off of the hard floor. The young couple was safe now, the crisis was finally over. It was now time to conclusively and properly tend to their many bleeding and painful injuries. Both magic and conventional medicine would be used to heal the soul mates. Death and Earthy re-sealed themselves into their card forms and disappeared into the leather bound pages of the Book of Clow. The Life Card stayed close to the unconscious Card Mistress's side like a worried Mother. Lerae allowed herself a smile. Both her Son and the lovely Japanese sorceress had survived one of, and perhaps the, most dangerous tests of their young lives. And they had done this in concord, together.

They were of two different lives…

They were of two different minds…

They were of two different bodies…

But they would be forever of one soul.

****

Concludes in Chapter 11 (part 20) of "Dimensions II - Test of Evil"


	20. Dimensions II Test of Evil Part 10

May 31, 2001 

Gomennasi for taking so long, but seeing as I had to do some research to get some of the scenes just right you can hardly blame me. But if you have to blame me, then go ahead. It just means I'll be even slower in putting out a next story if that moment should ever arise (evil laugh). 

**The traditions portrayed in this chapter are by no means the ONLY ones in existence. Chinese traditions vary from region to region, sometimes even from village to village. Do not take what I have written down as being the only possibility for this tradition. **

**I'd like to give a hearty _ARIGATOU_ to all of you who have read, commented, or simply enjoyed my series. Without you all constantly pushing and badgering me to finish it I would have never put in so much hard work into this oeuvre. **

**Arigatou to WingZer0 Z (Ken) and FireflyAngel426 (Irah), who unknowingly inspired me to write Sakura and Syaoran the way I did. You two are just so kawaii, no matter what your folks say ^_^ **

**Arigatou to BCzeon27 (Ben) and Digidynasty (Alexis), true fans and true soul mates if ever I met any and some of the most romantically creative people I know ^_^ **

**And arigatou to Chu-kun, for being such a great sounding board for ideas when I hit my walls ^_^ **

**But now I MUST drop out of sight to work on the biggest project of my life: revising a manuscript for pending publishing ° _ ° **

**Domo arigatou, minna, and ja ne!! ^_^**

**Card Captors**

**"Dimensions II - Test of Evil"**

**Censored Version – Epilogue**

**(Uncensored version available at The MOUSE Hole website)**

**By : The MOUSE............................**

All of Kinomoto Sakura's senses surfaced all at once, her Spring green eyes fluttering open to take in her surroundings. All the colors and shades were soft, designed to calm and relax a person sleeping within. A motif of peonies and bamboo greeted her eyes. She blinked in the room's dimmed light, confused, feeling the tropical heat of the air caressing her face and neck. The cool silk sheets caressed her skin gently. Her memories were vague as to how she got to this bedroom, her assigned room on the Li Clan's estate. Her last conscious memories had been of being within Mummaro's Gate as it crumbled down onto her, then of being cradled tenderly in Li Syaoran's arms within the estate's Reception Hall. How she had gotten there, and everything that happened afterwards, was a total blank. Her nose reported the delicate scent of burning sage and lavender wafting through the room.

Healing herbs.

Turning her head towards the scent and the window she saw that a small prayer altar had been set up in her room, complete with miniature idols of healing deities and smoking incense on it. She frowned slightly.

_Aren't I supposed to be dead?_

"How're you feeling?" a tiny yet familiar voice questioned from her other side.

Sakura turned her head away from the window to find a small, yellow, winged rodent-like creature hovering at her bedside with an expression of worry on its tiny face. She blinked at it.

"Kero?" She then smiled. "You changed back."

He smirked and shrugged. "Hai, I was getting tired of being ridden all day long by so many kids. This way I can fly out of reach." He then looked at her carefully. "You had us all worried. Are you okay?"

She smiled gently. "Hai, now that I'm out of that place. How did I get out?"

"Life, Earthy and Death got you out magically. When it was sure you were going to be alright, the Life Card sealed itself and settled in the book."

"And Syaoran?"

"The gaki's in the same boat you are, hurt but recovering. He woke up a little over two hours ago. He really wanted to come here, but the healers insisted you should be allowed to rest. I think his Okaa-san and Sisters led him off to one of the terraces."

Sakura smothered a giggle. "My poor Syaoran."

Kero snorted. "That gaki can survive being away from you for a few hours. Hey, what're you doing?" he suddenly exclaimed as the sorceress threw off her covers.

She struggled with stiff limbs to sit up on the edge of the bed. "What's it look like? I'm getting up."

"But why?"

She grinned. "Syaoran may be able to survive being away for a few hours, but I can't."

"You still need rest." the Guardian Beast protested.

"Kero, I feel fine. Besides..." She glanced at the ornate antique clock sitting on her nightstand. "It's almost eleven. It's time I got up."

She teetered for a moment on wobbly legs as she waited for her sense of balance to return to her, then hobbled towards her dresser for a change of clothes. On the way she passed the full-length mirror and froze, stepping back in front of it to see herself. She was dressed in her pale pink slip now instead of the gown she had worn at the dinner party, but that wasn't what was so surprising.

Where were the bruises?

Where were the scars and bandages?

Her body showed no sign of the countless injuries she should have been riddled with. She looked to Kero with a very puzzled expression.

"Magic, right?" she asked him, indicating her lack of injuries.

He suddenly looked sheepish as he sat on one of the bedposts at the foot of the bed. "Hai, magic can heal like that, combined with, um, two weeks full rest." he answered hesitantly.

Sakura rounded on him. "Nani!? Two weeks!?"

"They had to make sure you would heal properly and completely." he amended quickly.

"But two weeks!?"

"Kero, what's going on in here?" Li Meilin Rae demanded anxiously as she and a concerned Daidouji Tomoyo burst into the room.

Bright amethyst and fiery terra cotta eyes lit up with sheer joy and relief at the sight of the Mistress of the Cards up and walking on her own. Tomoyo let loose a delighted squeal before launching herself at her best friend to enfold her in a tight hug.

"Yokata! You're alright!" she cheered.

"She won't be for much longer if you don't let her go." Meilin warned, having seen Sakura's wince of pain.

The teen videographer quickly released the sorceress with a gasp of remorse. "Gomen ne, Sakura, I got carried away."

The recovering teen rubbed her still healing side with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Tomoyo. Had it been me I would've probably done the same thing. It also lets me know what injuries I still have to be careful of."

"You're sure you're alright?" queried the Chinese girl.

"Hai, Meilin. A good shower and a change of clothes and I'll be as good as new."

Tomoyo suddenly smiled brightly, clapping her hands in supplication. "Oh, let me pick out your clothes?" she near pleaded desperately. "Let me, onegai, Sakura?"

Both Meilin and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the stars dancing in their friend's eyes as little Kero groaned in dismay at the girl's exuberance when it came to clothes. Sometimes that teen could be far too fashion happy.

* * *

"Kawaii!" joyfully exclaimed Li Syaoran's four Sisters as if they had one voice.

Li Lerae gazed at her Son sitting across from her on the private terrace, both enjoying the calm and a warm sunbeam tempered by a gentle sea breeze. Part of her marveled how much he had grown in the last five years. His tan slacks and white shirt perfectly chiseled a body shaped and defined from years of hard training and fighting at his sorceress's side. Lerae fought hard to stifle the elated smile that threatened to spread across her lips from his news. She was sorely tempted to have a reaction much like that of her Daughters now babbling excitedly. This was fantastic news her Son had given her. His amber eyes shone with hope for her approval.

"Are you certain about this decision, Xiao Lang?" Lerae asked of him.

Li Syaoran nodded. "Hai, Ma-Ma, I have no doubts."

"Kawaii!" his Sisters exclaimed again.

Syaoran frowned at them.

Part of Lerae's smile broke through slightly. "And this will be done according to the old ways?"

"Hai."

"Kawaii!" the Sisters exclaimed again.

Again he frowned at them. "I was thinking of asking Ann-Lee to be my spokesperson for this."

"Kawaii!" they exclaimed yet again.

More of Lerae's smile snuck past her barriers. "Your Aunt will be most honored to speak on your behalf for this. A wise choice."

Syaoran smiled. "I know she can be very convincing in her arguments when she needs to be. And for this she'll have to be."

"Kawaii!" his Sisters exclaimed again, receiving a glare from their little Brother.

"Not to worry, my Son. Ann-Lee is a master negotiator. She will be successful. Do you wish them brought here upon reaching an agreement?"

The warrior paused in thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Hai. It would make the rest of it much easier."

"Then I will arrange it."

The Little Wolf's eyes smiled. "Arigatou, Ma-Ma. You don't know how much your approval of all this means to me."

"Kawaii!" his Sisters exclaimed again and Syaoran growled low in growing annoyance.

Lerae smiled gently. "Anything to make you happy, Xiao Lang."

He fought back the blush trying to warm his cheeks. "Arigatou." he voiced again.

"Kawaii!" his Sisters exclaimed yet again.

"Will you four magpies just shut up already!" the warrior exclaimed.

Feimei merely smiled brightly. "We're just so happy for our little Brother."

Fanren grinned. "It's not everyday he personally requests this."

Syaoran growled at their seemingly innocent expressions. "Don't you have children to take care of?"

"Their nannies are doing that." Fuutie replied.

"They go annoy your husbands and leave me alone!"

Shiefa's expression turned devilish. "That's actually not a bad idea." The other three seemed to suddenly understand and grinned.

"Fine, then go!" and the warrior rose from his seat to physically chase them off the terrace. 

His four Sisters ran away screeching in mock terror. This done he returned to his seat and leaned back on the settee to lounge comfortably, a smile appearing on his lips, both satisfied and whimsical. He was silent for a moment, enjoying the sun's warming rays, before sighing softly.

"It's all up to Ann-Lee now to convince them. I'll have the list and the final details for everything else for you by dinner tonight."

Lerae nodded silently.

"What final details?" a sweet voice suddenly questioned.

Startled, both Okaa-san and Son jumped visibly in their seats and turned in the direction of the voice. There stood Tomoyo and Meilin, both looking amused. Kero was sitting comfortably on violet-eyed Tomoyo's shoulder, his tiny eyes carefully scanning his surroundings for danger that was not present. And slightly before the two girls and the Guardian Beast, stood a confused Mistress of the Clow Cards. Sakura wore a light, short sleeved white sweater and a dark grey, wrap-around skirt that seemed to be made of a felt material. It was a degree more elegant than the jeans and simple T-shirts her two friends wore. The Li Clan's future leader felt a smile spread across his face at the beautiful vision the love of his life made, her confused expression making her almost painfully adorable. He held a hand out to her in beckoning as he lay back on the settee once again.

"You must have been in a really deep conversation to not have noticed us walking up." the sorceress smiled sweetly as she took her soul mate's offered hand and sat at his side on the settee.

"Heaven forbid I even become that absorbed ever again, my Ying Fa." he murmured warmly against her ear, wrapping an arm around her slender waist to keep her close. 

She shivered pleasantly and snuggled against his side willingly, listening to his strong heartbeat. "Syaoran, what final details?" she insisted softly.

Li Lerae chuckled at the obvious devotion the young couple showed for each other. "Xiao Lang and I were merely discussing the plans to an upcoming event he wishes to put into motion."

Meilin blinked as she sat in a nearby wicker chair. "Event? What event?"

Syaoran shrugged slightly. "Nothing over the top. The last Clan gathering we had got ruined by Mesuinu and Higato so we're going to try this again with no interruptions this time."

Stars lit up in Tomoyo's eyes at the chance to design another fabulous evening gown for Sakura to wear, a thousand and one designs already dancing before her mind's eye. "When is it going to be held?"

The warrior looked to his Okaa-san. "I'm thinking four days?" Lerae nodded in confirmation. He turned back to his friends. "Hai, four days from now. It should be enough time for a few special, extra guests to arrive."

The three teen girls looked confused as Kero scrutinized the sorcerer suspiciously. Syaoran had a secretive, almost devilish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth and shining in his warm ocher eyes. The Guardian Beast immediately knew he was planning something, but whether it was a good or bad thing he couldn't yet tell. With a thoroughly amused smile at the whole scene unfolding before her Li Lerae stood and bowed slightly, elegantly to her guests.

"I must go inform Ann-Lee to prepare if she is to have time to get her needed belongings together. She will leave the moment she receives your instructions tonight, Xiao Lang."

"Arigatou, Ma-Ma."

Then Li-san walked away.

"Why is Aunt Ann-Lee leaving tonight?" Meilin queried of her Cousin.

He gave her a very pointed look. "She's to be my spokesperson... in Japan."

She raised a puzzled eyebrow, cocking her head to one side. "Spokesperson? In Japan?"

Meilin met Syaoran's gaze spark for spark, then blinked when he, too, arched an eyebrow in a you know exactly what I mean expression, a smirk working at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh... Oh!" she exclaimed when realization finally sank in.

Her hands quickly clamped over her mouth, her face contorting as she struggled desperately to hold in her squeals of glee or comments that would give away the revelation. It was plainly obvious to her that her Cousin wanted to keep this wonderful news a secret from the Japanese cheerleader. It was to be a surprise for her. The two remaining girls and the Guardian Beast gave Meilin strange looks, silently questioning her as to the reason of her strange reaction, noting how her face was turning purple from her effort to restrain herself. Feeling she would crack Meilin quickly grabbed Tomoyo's arm and Kero's tail to drag them both into the house.

"I bet Kero is hungry, let's go to the kitchens and see if we can't find him something for him to eat." she lied quickly as a cover for her rushed retreat with the two.

Sakura sat up in puzzlement and watched Meilin drag Tomoyo and Kero away. She blinked in wonder. "Well, that was wholly unexpected of her."

"But not unwelcome." Syaoran smiled coyly.

She smiled at him from over her shoulder. With a giggle she returned to his welcoming arms, sighing blissfully as they enfolded her in a tight embrace. There was no greater sense of security than the feel of his strength and his warm aura wrapped around her. The world just melted away when he held her this way, tenderly and lovingly. Sakura would have given anything and everything she had to remain exactly where she was. It was well worth it to just hear the steady lub-dub of his heart and listen to his gentle breath rising and falling in his chest.

Syaoran felt both blessed and intoxicated by her presence. He was completely addicted and she was his drug. Her aura blending and intermingling with his was like no other sensation in the world; comforting, enticing, innocent. And her scent, that sweet and delicate scent of cherry blossoms that seemed to follow her everywhere she went, was euphoric. He could saturate his senses with that scent and still never get enough of it. He suddenly felt her lithe arms tighten around his chest, feeling her bliss change to some sort of fear. He looked down at the top of her head, her honey auburn hair hiding her face from him.

"Sakura?" he questioned softly.

"I was so afraid I'd never see you again." she stated in a shaky whisper.

Syaoran slid down a bit to be at Sakura's eye level, laying a warm hand on her cheek. Tears threatened to spill from her emerald orbs. His thumb glided over her smooth cheek in a tender caress, tightening his other arm around her to pull her closer against himself.

"Shhh, that's in the past now." he soothed gently. "I'll never ever leave you."

Sakura's gaze met his as she held up her pinky finger to him. "Promise?"

He gave her a shivery warm smile at her adorable look of innocence, hooking his own little finger with her. "Hai, I promise." he assured. "And this is a promise I intend to keep no matter what."

An awed smile touched the sorceress's lips. This adamant vow was one of the many reasons she loved him so much. He always knew exactly what to say at any given time to make her feel better. The warrior's fingers carefully curled under her chin and tilted her face up to his own. His gentle smile sent thousands of shivers racing up the length of her spine. Silently she thought it was such a pity that the handsome sorcerer didn't smile more often. He has the most beautiful smile.

_I only smile for you, My Love_, his mind whispered into hers.

Another pleasant shiver gripped her and she leaned upwards, her lips brushing his in a tender kiss. His lips parted in response to accept the kiss, his eyes closing, his callused fingers soft upon her cheek.

"Aishiteru, Syaoran." she whispered against his lips, then ducked her head beneath his chin to mold her body to his.

He cradled her head against the side of his neck, caressing her back from her nape to the small of her back. "Aishiteru, Sakura." he murmured against the skin of her forehead. "Now and always."

* * *

Tomoyo videotaped the young couple lounging on the terrace, a bright smile on her lips. Meilin had just explained the reason for her previous reaction and it was so sublime. And to think she would actually be present to capture every wonderful moment and detail on film. It was beyond her wildest dreams. Kero hovered just over her head, also watching, also smiling. Despite all past grievances and name-callings between him and Syaoran, the warrior made Sakura happy. He could forgive him the rest for that alone. If anything Kero wanted his Mistress happy. Tomoyo giggled excitedly and looked to Meilin.

"You're absolutely sure about this?" she asked the Chinese teen.

"Positive." she replied. "Asking Aunt Ann-Lee to be his spokesperson is a dead giveaway. It's part of our traditions for it."

"It won't be easy for your Aunt to convince them."

Meilin smirked. "It won't be easy to say no to Ann-Lee. I think that's why Syaoran chose her. Then he'll announce the results at the banquet."

"So that's why he wants to have the second banquet." Kero grinned. "I got to admit, the kid has flair; dramatic and romantic."

"Sugoi! I get to design a totally fantastic gown for my Sakura to wear for that then."

"Nothing overly frilly, Tomoyo." Meilin warned.

She looked mortified. "Of course not! Frills are so passé. I see something of satin, silk or lace... or any combination of." Both the Guardian Beast and the Chinese girl groaned softly at this. "Tell me more about this tradition. I don't want to miss a second of this."

"Over a snack." Kero added quickly. "I'm starving!" to which the girls laughed.

* * *

A calm and quiet evening descended on the island of Bing Di Lian. Attendants went about preparing the Li Clan's estate for the night for when its occupants would decide to retire. The guards assigned to the evening watch began their rounds to ensure the safety of all those within the estate. A fine cool mist hung over the grounds, adding an air of mystery to the already magical place. Sakura sighed silently as she watched from the window as the night settled peacefully on the island. A smile adorned her lips. She thought about how wonderful it could be if she could stay on this estate all her life. She could learn so much about magic here, about Clow Reed and the cards he had created. But, most of all, she could forever stay with her adored soul mate. The thought sent goose bumps along her flesh pleasantly. Her smile grew slightly wider as she continued to watch the night, reminiscing about the day she had just had.

Anyone else might have considered that day a complete waste of time, but to Sakura it was just as memorable and magical as the island and the one she had been with. She had spent the entire day in the company of Li Syaoran alone, though she had been positive a certain camera happy teen had followed them just to spy and film. The Li warrior had taken the young sorceress on a tour of the island, showing her his old hideouts and some of the more spectacular locations the island had to offer. At one such location he had thought it best to return the Book and Key of Clow back to their rightful owner, the Mistress of the Cards. She had thanked him properly for the considerate gesture. She knew he could have very well kept the cards, but he was far too kind to her to do such a thing. A blush crept up the Mistress of the Cards' cheeks as she remembered how they had interrupted their own tour numerous times with sweet moments of tender kisses. It had felt as if they could never get close enough though. Chances were that was exactly the case. Silently she hoped that would change between them.

"Not if we can't stop Tomoyo from taping us at every turn." Syaoran stated softly as he came up behind her to tenderly grip her shoulders. A smile was in his voice.

She nestled herself back against his chest with a blissful sigh, her smile softening lovingly. "Eavesdropping?"

His arms slipped around her waist. "No."

"Then, how...?"

He chuckled. "You were broadcasting like a radio antenna, My Love." and he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her head. "I could hear you without even trying."

She blushed. "Gomen ne."

Syaoran nuzzled the back of her ear warmly. "Who says I didn't like it?" he murmured.

A tiny gasp escaped her lips as her knees threatened to buckle from his gentle breath on her skin. Sakura wondered if he knew just how seductive he was sometimes. His arms tightened slightly around her slim waist to keep her close. To the teen sorceress it was incredible how one man could make her feel so impossibly safe.

"Arigatou." Syaoran grinned.

Sakura giggled. "Now you were eavesdropping."

"Gomen, gomen." he chuckled. "C'mon, dinner's about to start soon." and he gently tugged her away from the window.

She pressed herself against his side, her arms wrapped around his torso, her cheek to his shoulder as they slowly walked down the corridors of the estate's main house. The warrior kept both his arms around her, feeling that if he ever dared to let her go that he would lose her this time.

"Ne, Syaoran?" she finally questioned after a long silence.

"Nani?"

"Are you ever going to tell me what you have planned for the banquet in four days?"

He smiled. "Now where's the surprise in that?"

She pouted. "Mou, Syaoran--"

The sorcerer gently warmed the sorceress's lips with his own to silence her protest. "Patience, Sakura. Trust me, I do believe you'll like this surprise."

They arrived at a set of double doors where an attendant stood unwearyingly. He bowed to the approaching Card Captors in much respect and opened the double doors for them to enter the room beyond. It was a small room, large enough for ten people to comfortably sit around a rectangular table and still have room for a few sparse antiques for decorations. The Clan's matriarch was already seated at the head of the table, entertaining Kero, Tomoyo and Meilin as they waited for the Card Captors to arrive to beginning the evening meal. There was one more person sitting at the table that Sakura hadn't yet met. She was a rather pudgy woman for her tall and broad stature, with very black and very attentive eyes that sparkled with a devilish mischief. She was an impressive woman, a shock of auburn streaking her salt and pepper hair, wisdom clearly seen in her wrinkled face. She smiled brightly, almost proudly, at the young couple as they walked in arm in arm.

"Ah, and here is the happy pair now." the woman exclaimed.

"Did we make you wait long?" the warrior queried with a look of apology, holding his girlfriend's chair out like a perfect gentleman for her to sit.

"Not very long." the woman assured. "Lerae and Meilin were just telling me more about your three friends here. Simply fascinating people." She smiled at Sakura. "So, is this the lovely tao?"

Sakura blinked in confusion and looked to Syaoran as he sat. "Tao?"

A small frown creased his brow. "Guess not all words are being translated." He looked at his partner with a gentle smile. "It means peach."

Again she blinked. "Peach?"

He merely winked with an amused grin in response. "Aunt Ann-Lee, meet Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura." he introduced.

The sorceress bowed in her seat to the woman. "An honor, Li-san."

"The honor is mine, Card Mistress." Ann-Lee returned.

"Ne, you're the one Syaoran is sending to Japan on some business for him?"

"Hai." she smiled.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me why?"

Ann-Lee's smile grew a little wider. "He trusts in my abilities."

"To do what?"

She chuckled. "To tame a tiger."

"Tame a tiger?"

"There is no use trying to pry the contents of my mission out of me, little tao." she chuckled. "Xiao Lang has expressed that this is to remain a secret, for now."

Sakura slumped slightly with a pout of defeat, hearing her friends snicker softly at her failed attempt to learn this tight secret. She turned to her boyfriend only to find him smirking at her in amusement. 

She smiled sheepishly. "Patience?"

"Patience." he confirmed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

She sighed softly, knowing she would never convince anyone of his family to tell her what it was he was planning, as the attendants took their unspoken cue and served the evening meal. Syaoran used this opportunity to pass a small rolled-up scroll to his Aunt through one of the servants. The aging woman accepted the message, carefully unrolling it and reading over its contents. She raised only her eyes from the document to look across the table to her nephew. Sakura listened carefully to glean any clue possible to figure out what this important event would be.

"You are offering quite a lot to them." she told him.

"I owe them a lot, infinitely more than what's there."

She smiled knowingly, raising her head. "Hai, I suppose you do. And this list down at the bottom here?"

"To be brought back here as well upon reaching an agreement with the principle party involved."

The elder woman nodded thoughtfully, returning her eyes to the scroll. "Hai. Six hours to get there, maybe two days of negotiation and getting the rest of your list ready for departure, and six hours back. That leaves a day and a half to iron out any problems that might arise. Hai, this will do nicely."

"Arigatou for doing this, Ann-Lee."

She waved a hand absently as if in a dismissal. "Save your domo arigatou until all this is settled." She paused. "But this should not be too hard."

Lerae smiled at her Sister's confidence and looked to her niece who was struggling hard not to laugh at the Card Mistress's confusion. "Meilin, perhaps in the morning you could take both Tomoyo and Sakura into town."

"Hai, that's an excellent idea, Ma-Ma." the Clan's sorcerer agreed. "Take them shopping, show them the sights of the Island City."

The sorceress looked a little disappointed. "You're not coming with us?" she asked her partner. 

He shook his head in a negative, a look of genuine remorse on his face. "There's a ceremony I have to attend here. A private, family ceremony that's going to last the vast portion of the day."

"Tradition?" she queried further.

He nodded. "Tradition."

"Don't worry, Sakura." Tomoyo grinned. "Meilin and I will keep you so distracted that you'll never notice time fly until we have to come back."

The Mistress of the Cards looked apprehensive about leaving her partner's side for so long. Their last prolonged separation had not turned out for the best, nearly resulting in their deaths and the destruction of the world. But part of her mind agreed that she had to do something to occupy herself while her Little Wolf attended to his family's traditions. The more time she spent on the estate around his relatives, the more she learned about her beloved warrior. About how he grew up and lived before coming to Japan and just how important traditions were to his family. And she would accept all these rituals and ceremonies. They were a part of the man she loved after all. So if this was private and only family oriented, then so be it. Sakura bowed her head and nodded, reluctantly agreeing with the arrangements.

_We can spend the night together until then, if you want_, Syaoran suggested gently in her mind.

She blinked in surprise and looked at him from the corner of her eye, fighting off a smirk. You make that sound naughtier than it really is, she sent, casually taking a morsel from her plate with her chopsticks and popping it in her mouth deftly.

She heard him chuckle coyly in her mind. What if I'm suggesting that very thing?

A fierce blush colored her cheeks as she nearly choked, turning sharply to face him in shock. "Nani!?"

He laughed. "Gotcha."

She frowned, then playfully slapped his shoulder, getting caught up in his mirth. I'm going to get you for that.

His golden eyes sparkled in seductive mischief. I'm counting on it.

She giggled another blush. Libidinous, she accused.

_Can you blame me with such a lovely angel as you at my side?_ he told her in all innocence.

_Now you're a sweet-talker_, she smiled.

_Can you blame me for that too?_

_No, but I can try_, she teased.

Then, suddenly noticing the silence in the dining room, the pair blinked back to reality and looked to their friends and family. Five broad and intrigued grins, five pairs of curious eyes, and one video camera lens greeted them. The Card Captors looked from one face to the next in puzzlement, twitching slightly at their almost intense scrutiny.

"Nani?" the warrior demanded of the five.

"We just think your bond is so kawaii to watch." Kero teased as he munched on a rice ball.

Syaoran stiffened slightly and looked to Sakura with a sheepish expression. We got carried away.

She merely smirked at him. That seems to be happening a lot these days, and he chuckled in amused agreement.

"So how long ago did you guys find out about this... this... well... link?" Tomoyo queried, intrigued.

Sakura had a thoughtful look as she recollected her memories. "Um... at school the same day Li-san showed up at Syaoran's apartment." she answered.

"We actually found out by accident." Syaoran added. "We got brief flashes throughout the day, bits of feelings, and a few sentences. They were fragmented at first, but everything got clearer and stronger the more time passed."

"And, just now, this was a silent conversation between the both of you that we witnessed?" asked Ann-Lee.

""Hai."" the soul mates replied in unison.

"Can we know what you were saying?" Meilin probed, a glint of pure curiosity in her terra cotta eyes.

""No."" they again replied together with a knowing grin.

Li Meilin Rae responded with a pout to which all the occupants of the dinning room laughed.

* * *

Li Ann-Lee walked daintily through the thick snow of Japan's Tomeda District, aware of the strange glances passers by gave her and her four attendants as they passed. She had to admit to herself, they must have made a very strange sight, a group that seemed to consist of one noblewoman and four men laden with numerous boxes each. But all these boxes were necessary. There were the items and gifts she would use to negotiate with. Turning another corner in this maze of small streets, Ann-Lee and her cortege finally arrived at their destination. She gazed at the quaint two-story house fondly. Love and peace simply radiated from it. This must have been an amazing place for a child to grow up in. She only hoped its occupants were still there. The elder Li woman had made it a point to get here early to catch the residents before they left for their daily routine. At seven in the morning they had to still be in. Steeling herself she walked up the narrow path to the front door, attendants in tow, and rang the doorbell. Barely a minute passed before a smiling, middle-aged man opened the door. He blinked at the sight of the quintet standing before him.

"Konnichiwa. May I help you?" he greeted as a younger man stepped just within sight down the hallway.

Ann-Lee and the attendants bowed in deep respect. "We have been sent to you by Li Xiao Lang to offer you, on his behalf, his most important request, Kinomoto Fujitaka-sama."

* * *

Li Syaoran woke to the crystalline song of a sparrow from somewhere beyond his open window. He inhaled deeply as he woke and smiled as his nose was filled with the delicate scent of heather and cherry blossoms. He could feel a small and soft body breathing gently under his casually draped arm. He curled that arm slightly, to tug the lithe form closer, and opened his eyes.

There, sleeping peacefully at his side, was the love of his life, Kinomoto Sakura.

Syaoran just lay there and watched her sleep. Her mouth was open only the tiniest bit and curled into a slight smile, a few strands of her auburn locks falling against her silky cheek. The gentle morning light played on her face, making her skin seem to glow with the same light as her silk slip that she still wore. The young sorcerer smiled whimsically. Waking up next to her like this was definitely something he could get used to. He didn't dare move, not wanting to wake the ethereal sorceress from such a peaceful sleep. He looked to the clock just beyond her on his nightstand. He had to squint to see the numbers in the morning's light.

It was just past six thirty.

Syaoran smile broadened a bit. His Aunt was probably engaged in the negotiations in Japan. If she were convincing enough, that bit of work would be done soon. All that was left for this day was for him to get up soon to attend a very decisive ceremony. He had no doubt in his mind as to the outcome of that event, but he hated the thought of having to get up and be away from his Cherry Blossom's side. He sighed silently and gently kissed her bare shoulder. Sakura's smile broadened as she woke slowly, a tiny moan breaking from her lips. She turned to her side, facing him, and snuggled against his chest. The Little Wolf chuckled.

"Konnichiwa, my Ying Fa." he murmured.

She pressed closer to him with a groan of protest. "It's too early."

He smiled down at her. "I know, but we both have a busy day so the sooner we start it the sooner it'll all be done."

She looked up at him, her bright eyes glowing in the morning light. "I guess you're right." Then a bright smile illuminated both her face and the room. "Konnichiwa, Xiao Lang."

He wound his arms around her and cuddled her close, laying a gentle kiss on her brow. "This is going to be one impossibly long day." he whispered.

"Can't everything be postponed?" she murmured into the hollow of his throat.

He sighed. "What that I wish it could, but no. Besides, I think Tomoyo is dying to see the latest Hong Kong fashions on you."

"And no doubt managed to talk your Sisters into coming along for a girls' day out."

Syaoran couldn't help but chuckle. "My sympathies."

"Arigatou." Sakura giggled softly.

Then, for a moment, she just stared at him intently, her eyes seeming to twinkle with a kind of wonder. The warrior blinked in confusion from her gentle scrutiny.

"Nani?" he asked.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

She grinned. "About how the hardest thing about sleeping in the same bed as you is getting up in the morning."

He smiled. "And that's a bad thing?"

"Of course not." she cooed, lightly brushing her lips to his.

A light tremor gripped the young warrior from her soft action. "We... we really should get up." he faltered.

She pouted. "Even if we don't want to?"

"Even if we don't want to." he confirmed. "It would be safer."

Sakura looked at him, blinking in uncertainty. Then his meaning hit her and she blushed fiercely. "Oh." she said with a sheepish grin.

He held her close one last time before kissing her lips. "I'll see you tonight, My Love." he promised.

She sighed a small smile. "Until tonight then, Beloved."

Then the sorcerer reluctantly released his sorceress from his arms. She slid out of the warm bed and into her silk nightrobe, padding to the door on bare feet. Once there she paused. She turned her head to her boyfriend and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, just watching her leave. Sakura smiled at him one more time, then disappeared out of the door to return to her room. Syaoran stared at the closed door for a little longer. With a broad smile he let himself drop to his back.

_Life is good._

* * *

Nothing said at the intimate breakfast, or during the long ferry ride, nor even during the car ride into town, had prepared the teen sorceress or her fashion designer friend for what greeted them at the entrance to the first mall they stopped at on their mini shopping spree.

Reporters.

Photographers.

Throngs of them!

They all clambered about the long black limousine, desperately peering through windows and trying the locked doors to get a picture or a comment to quote from members of the elusive Li Clan. Tomoyo blinked at the crowd through the window and clutched her camera preciously to her chest, knowing that these paparazzi would snatch it from her if given the chance. She remembered the scene at the airport when they had first arrived in Hong Kong, but she had dearly hoped these reporters would have left them alone since Li Syaoran was not with their group. Afterall, he was the important one now of the Li Clan.

"Now we know why Kero wanted to stay at the estate." she voiced.

"Hai. With so many reporters he would've been spotted for sure." Sakura agreed.

Meilin sighed in annoyance at the reporters and photographers. "We go through this each and every time we leave the island. It gets old fast."

"I can imagine." the sorceress nodded absently as she continued to stare out the window rather nervously. "What do they want?"

Fuutie sniffed at the ruckus the paparazzi were causing. "An interview mostly. They are simply fascinated about our Clan and the people who associate with us."

"But they are not ready to know the truth about us just yet." Shiefa added.

"The guards have a path cleared for us." Fanren announced. "Time to run the gauntlet."

Feimei took both Sakura's and Tomoyo's hands. "Stay close to me." she instructed as they prepared to rush out of the vehicle.

Taking a bracing breath the seven women burst out of the limousine and ran towards the massive mall's front entrance, ignoring the reporters as much as possible. It was a maddening rush of flashing lights and a jumble of questions from those who made news their livelihood. As soon as the Li women, the two Japanese teens, and their attendants crossed the doors, mall security shut the entrance tight, preventing the reporters from following.

Tomoyo suddenly giggled breathlessly. "I pity poor Li. He's missing out on all this fun." she quipped in sarcastic humor.

Meilin smirked. "I bet he's having just as much fun at that ceremony."

"What exactly is he doing anyway?" Sakura queried.

"Picking an appropriate day." Feimei answered absently.

The others quickly hushed her with hisses and glares while the Card Mistress looked on in confusion.

"Day?" the auburn haired cheerleader asked further.

Shiefa nodded quickly in answer. "To... to conclude his business. Very important. The day must be just right, just perfect to ensure proper success in this."

"Oh, hai!" Fuutie agreed. "Proper business is just as important as Fate and tradition. He must save face."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Hai, I guess."

Fanren bobbed her head quickly. "Hai, hai, but right now our business is shopping!"

The sorceress saw her sudden enthusiasm and groaned softly, dropping to her knees when the other three Sisters joined in. And she had thought Tomoyo was exuberant. Seeing the female Card Captor fall to her knees the Li Sisters gathered around her in worry.

"No, I'm fine." she waved sheepishly, dismissing their flurry of concerned questions.

As soon as she said this she immediately regretted it. They grabbed her arms to haul her back to her feet, then dragged her off into the mall towards one of the nearest clothiers. Tomoyo and Meilin were close behind them, both smiling in conspiracy.

* * *

Mighty Keroberus, once again transformed into his large lion-like form, lay silent and off to the side of the group kneeling in the center of the estate's private temple. He was a quiet observer for this. Thick clouds of pungent incense hovered near the ceiling from prayer offerings burning on the altar. At the front of the small group knelt Li Syaoran and his Okaa-san, both had their eyes closed in quiet contemplation, dressed in their ceremonial robes of green and gold. The seven Clan Elders knelt behind them, also in their ceremonial robes and colors. They had all been praying this way for the last six hours, showing no sign of fatigue. Keroberus allowed himself a smile. It was nice to see that the old gods and goddesses still commanded respect even in this day and age. An old man suddenly entered the temple, his arms laden with many scrolls. He paused at the sight of the mighty Guardian Beast of the Seal lounging in the room, then went to kneel before the praying group. Kero cocked his head.

_A priest?_

He scrutinized the man's robes a little more carefully and blinked.

_No, a Fortune Master! Ah, it's been a while since I saw one of those._

The wizened man bowed to the hierarchy of the Li Clan and set out his scrolls before him. "Do you have both candidates' eight letters?" he asked them.

Li Lerae nodded and placed two strips of papyrus before the Fortune Master. Keroberus could barely make out the characters neatly inscribed on each. He squinted for a better view. Eight characters each: year, month, day, and time.

_Birthdays?_

The old Fortune Master bowed in thanks and began to carefully examine his numerous scrolls, every so often looking to the two strips of papyrus as if in reference. The next few hours passed by slowly as the Fortune Master did his strange and mysterious research, scrutinizing astrological charts of seemingly every kind. Through it all Li Syaoran kept his eyes shut as if in silent prayer for a favorable outcome. Finally the old man sat back on his heels with a pleased smile.

"Never have I seen such eight letters match each other so well. Fate smiles down upon you in this, Li-sama. I see nothing wrong."

Syaoran sighed in relief and finally opened his eyes. "What of the day?"

"I will require the eight letters of all else involved, Li-sama."

The warrior nodded. "You'll get them in a day and a half's time."

The aged fortune telling master bowed in agreement to this term.

* * *

Sakura was already exhausted from all her hard work and from precious little rest from the previous day's shopping marathon with Syaoran's older Sisters, but she wouldn't let her fatigue show to her sensei. She wanted to show him she could be strong. The morning sun was already high above the horizon, the last few hours having just flown by unnoticed. The sorceress blew a sweat-dampened lock of hair from her eyes and took a more decisive stance before her sensei, her Bo staff held before her. She drowned out all sounds and all other sights except for the person standing in front of her. She saw his stance shift ever so slightly and she braced herself for what would come next, narrowing her eyes. Her opponent charged at her wordlessly, taking a low swing at her side with his own Bo staff. Due to her previous long hours of practice, Sakura blocked the blow with rather ease. 

The attacker's Bo abruptly changed direction, suddenly aimed at her neck.

Again she blocked it.

The Bo swung several more times, each swing blocked almost effortlessly. Finally her opponent just stopped and nodded a very pleased smile at the lithe cheerleader.

"Well done, Sakura." he praised.

She smiled, not yet relaxing her stance. "I had a great sensei, Syaoran."

Syaoran chuckled and straightened. "And I had an excellent student."

She blushed with an innocent giggle as she, too, straightened. The Card Captors formally bowed to each other, calling an end to this practice for the day. Then, as an attendant took away their weapons, they turned to the other pair sparring not far away on the same grassy terrace. Meilin swung her Bo low to knock Tomoyo's feet out from under her, but the surprisingly nimble videographer managed to jump out of the way. Sakura smiled at her two friends vying for a weakness as he boyfriend came up behind her and gripped the young sorceress's shoulders. Syaoran kissed the back of her head tenderly and she smiled blissfully.

"Arigatou for also teaching Tomoyo." she told the sorcerer.

"The least I could do." he murmured in her hair. "Even with all her bodyguards, she should learn to defend herself. There'll be times when neither you or I or Meilin will be around to protect her."

The sorceress nodded absently to this.

Meilin and Tomoyo's Bo staffs swung by in a blur and collided with each other with a loud snap, both girls going still for a moment. A frown crossed the Chinese teen's face.

"Hai, you can really tell Syaoran taught you how to fight." she voiced.

"How's that?" violet-eyed Tomoyo queried.

"You're actually beating me." 

"Does that mean you're done for this morning?" Syaoran interrupted, smirking at Sakura's attempt to smother a giggle.

"Hai." Meilin agreed grudgingly, both girls lowering their weapons and then bowing to each other in respect. "I get the feeling that I'll never win a sparring match." she complained, surrendering the Bo to the attendant.

Her Cousin frowned slightly. "That's just it. It's a sparring match. There isn't supposed to be a winner or a loser."

She waved it off casually. "Details."

The Card Mistress shook her head at her friend in patient disbelief just as movement from the Main House caught the corner of her eye. A pudgy woman, her graying hair visible even from this distance, was waddling out of the house towards them, a broad grin plastered on her face. The sorceress blinked in hesitant recognition.

"Isn't that your Aunt Ann-Lee?" she voiced.

A small frown appeared on the warrior's face as he nodded in confirmation. "She's back early. I hope that means that nothing's wrong." and he walked forward to greet his relative. "Ann-Lee, is everything alright?" came his cautious query.

The elder woman beamed proudly. "All is well, Xiao Lang. Better that well. Better than that even."

Syaoran blinked. "Then... they both agreed?"

"Hai. The younger one needed more convincing, as expected, but all is settled now. And all of your guests are in the Master Study waiting for you and your lovely tao."

He smiled. "You're the best."

"Hai, hai, so everyone says." she quipped.

The Clan's future leader hugged the old woman warmly in gratitude, then turned to smile at his adored partner in card capting. "Sakura, it's time you saw the first part of your surprise."

Jade eyes blinked in confusion. "The first part?"

"Meilin, Tomoyo." and he motioned them over to him. "Go to the Master Study." he whispered low so only they would hear. "Tell everyone there to be quiet until we arrive." The two ran off giggling as Syaoran once again turned to his soul mate, holding a beckoning hand out to her. "Ready?"

She stared at his hand for a moment, then met his warm sunset colored eyes. They twinkled with obvious mirth, with the excitement of a child about to play a favorite game. Pure curiosity shone within the emerald depths of her eyes at this. He chuckled gently at how adorable it made her seem, so lost and innocent that he wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her forever to protect her from the world. Taking her hand he lightly tugged her away from the dispersing crowd of on-lookers and back towards the house.

_What are you planning?_ the warrior heard her think intently, feeling her mind brush against his.

He soothingly pushed her mind away. No peeking, he chided playfully.

"Mou, Syaoran..." she pouted. "I'm horrible with surprises."

"Just a few short minutes more, Sakura." he responded quietly, pulling her close to himself and placing a light finger on her lips to silence her. "You'll like this first surprise."

She relented with a tiny sigh. A tender smile touched his features as he cupped her cheek in one hand. Following an impulse that was too strong to deny, he leaned in and warmed her lips with his own in a heart-aching, loving kiss. The sorceress melted into the embrace willingly. A loud howl suddenly erupted from the Main House, pulling the soul mates apart. Sakura turned to her warrior for an explanation only to find him staring at the house in apprehension. She cocked her head to one side.

"What was that, Syaoran?"

He frowned at the house. "Part of your surprise."

"Is it dangerous?" she asked in trepidation.

"Only for me." he sighed.

They continued to the house, the Mistress of the Cards still pondering her sorcerer's last sentence.

What had made such a horrendous howl?

Why was it only dangerous for Syaoran?

What was this mysterious surprise he was presenting to her in parts that everyone seemed to know about except her?

She pushed those thoughts away as they neared the estate's Master Study. A few meters still from the door the warrior stopped.

"Close your eyes." he instructed.

"Nani?"

"Trust me." he merely smiled in response.

She closed her eyes, feeling his hands take her shoulders to guide her the rest of the way to the study. He was being ever so careful to make sure she didn't bump into or trip on anything. She was turned into an open door where she heard some shuffling and hushed, giggling voices. Then the warrior's hands disappeared from her shoulders. Sakura froze in some fear.

"Syaoran?"

"Open your eyes." he replied, a smile in his voice.

Still a little fearful of what she would see she slowly blinked open her eyes. A near strangled gasp escaped her throat. She looked from face to smiling face as if making sure she wasn't dreaming.

Yukito-san...

Rika-chan...

Naoko-chan...

Takashi-kun...

Chiharu-chan...

Her Great Grandfather, Amamiya Tsukishiro-san...

Tomoyo's Okaa-san, Daidouji Sonomi...

Otou-san...

Onii-chan...

They were all there, smiling with impish amusement at the expression of pure shock on Sakura's face. The Japanese cheerleader suddenly squealed in utter delight and rushed to each and every one of the newcomers to hug them all in welcome. Syaoran hung back from the babbling group that now included Meilin and Tomoyo as well. He sported a tiny smile at the pure joy written on his soul mate's features. He swore to himself then and there to do whatever it took to make her smile that way every day of her life. Before her knew it she abruptly threw her arms around his neck to embrace him tight, her face pressed into the crook of his neck. His arms reacted in instinct and crushed her close.

"How did you know that I already missed them so much?" she whispered against his skin.

He pulled back slightly to smile at her. "Do I really need to answer that?"

She giggled in understanding. "No, I guess not. Aishiteru." and she kissed his smiling lips.

""Kawaii!"" squealed Rika, Naoko and Chiharu as Touya growled low in a clear menace.

Syaoran dropped his face to Sakura's shoulder with a small groan. "Great, more people who think we're kawaii."

Sakura giggled as she nuzzled his ear. "That's because we are kawaii."

He pulled his face back, favoring her with a seductively sweet smile. "I know you are."

She tapped his chest in playful chiding. "How will I ever thank you for everything you've done for me?"

"You'll think of something." he chuckled low.

"Ah, there you are!" a voice sounded from the door to the study. "Li-san and the Elders wanted to know if you wanted breakfast now or not." Keroberus relayed. He raised an eyebrow at the Card Captors obviously shocked expressions. "Nani? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"A... a talking lion...?" came Rika's near terrified whisper.

The Guardian Beast glanced almost casually to the voice, then turned to stare long and hard in growing shock Seven new pairs of eyes were looking at him, were seeing him when he should not have yet been known to those who knew nothing of real magic. His face became panic stricken as he struggled with a way out of this awkward situation he had just created.

"Um... Ah... Just a dream! Hai, you're all just dreaming! Heh, heh... See? Just a dream!" he stuttered quickly as he gestured wildly.

"Kero..." began his Mistress, reluctantly pulling herself free of her boyfriend's arms.

Keroberus winced. "Gomen ne, Sakura, I didn't know."

Syaoran sighed. "It's alright. This was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I was kind of hoping for later." the Beast mumbled, hanging his head.

"Matte, you guys know... um..." But, for once, Takashi couldn't finish his sentence.

Meilin groaned. "I sense a really long explanation on the way here."

"We can explain everything and answer all your questions over breakfast, ne?" Tomoyo announced.

Daidouji Sonomi blinked. "Oh, because you're involved?"

"Hai, of course I'm involved. Just give us the time to freshen up a little and we'll join you in a few minutes."

"Kero, can you lead them to the Dining Hall and let Li-san know what happened?" the Card Mistress queried of her Guardian. Then, when the new guests made no move to follow the lion-like creature, "It's alright, Kero's harmless."

"Hey!" he protested.

"Well, you are... unless you're a desert item." countered Syaoran.

"Don't start with me, gaki."

"I'd like to see you try something, cotton fluff."

"Kero! Syaoran! Onegai!" the teen sorceress admonished. "Onegai, Kero, we'll be back in a few minutes."

The magical creature grumbled in agreement and began leading the reluctant group of newcomers out of the study and down one corridor while the Card Captors, Meilin and Tomoyo left in the opposite direction. Sakura spun around as she walked, a broad smile illuminating her face.

"I can't believe you brought them all here." she giggled to her adored soul mate.

He gave her his most disarming smile as he pulled her close to tuck her against his side. "Anything my Ying Fa may want, my Ying Fa will get." and he kissed her temple.

"You're too good to me." she sighed blissfully, nestling against him.

"And you guys are so full of sappy sweetness that I'm about to become a diabetic just from standing near you." Meilin mock grimaced.

"I think they're simply kawaii." Tomoyo contested, her video camera having suddenly appeared in her hand to record the cuddling duo. "I could tape them forever." she sighed.

"But you can't." Syaoran smirked.

"I can't?" Tomoyo blinked, confused. "Why not?"

Sakura, too, smirked. "Because this is your room and you have to get changed. Ja."

Pouting, the violet-eyed Japanese girl watched her favorite filming subjects walk away from her and Meilin. Then she began to grin slyly.

"Do you think she suspects anything?" the terra cotta eyed teen questioned.

"Not a thing. My Sakura can be kind of dense in situations with this much subtlety. That and Li has her... distracted."

"Hai, very distracted. Won't she be surprised tomorrow night." she giggled.

* * *

Kinomoto Sakura generally prided herself on having much patience towards her more fashion frenzied friends, but today those same friends were putting that patience to the test. She silently thanked her lucky stars for having chosen to sleep in her own room the night before. She would have never heard the end of it had her friends discovered her sleeping in Syaoran's bed next to the handsome warrior. Her foresight had warned her something would happen. That morning she had been shocked awake by the squeals and giggles of ten women bursting into her room. Her school friends, Syaoran's four Sisters, and Sonomi nearly assaulted the young sorceress awake, literally threw poor groggy Keroberus out of the room even despite his size, then proceeded to bury the hapless sorceress in mounds of material. As she tried to dig herself out from under the pile, part of Sakura's mind marveled at how well Rika, Naoko and Chiharu had adapted to all of the previous day's explanations. Tomoyo's vast video library had helped convince them that this fantastic sounding tale of magic was the absolute truth. She would never forget the looks of sheer awe she got from them all when they saw just how many times she and Syaoran had courted death and won, nor would she ever forget the look of terror on both Touya and her Otou-san's faces at that either. Sakura peeked out of a pile of chiffon at all the bustling women. Seeing her chance she leapt from the bed and dashed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Peace at last!

_Are you alright, Sakura?_ she heard a gentle voice whisper in concern in her mind.

She smiled. Hai, Syaoran. I'm just being attacked by a horde of females on a fashion rampage.

The young warrior chuckled. My poor Ying Fa. Buried in fabric?

_No. Locked in the bathroom for now. Just long enough to steel myself and then I face the mob._

_Good luck._

_Arigatou. So, what are you doing?_

_Finalizing a few details for tonight with the help of your Otou-san._

She blinked. Otou-san is in on your secret?

_Hai, and it's amazing how much he knows about our customs._

She giggled. He is a University professor.

_In archeology,_ he corrected.

_Details._ Then, she sighed. I guess I should go face the fashion police now.

_Knowing them, you'll probably be stuck there for the day, but the final product should be worth the torture, ne? I'll see you at tonight's banquet._

_I'll miss you._

_I'll miss you, too._

Sakura felt herself swoon slightly in bliss at the incredible mental caress her warrior gave her as he reluctantly slipped away from her mind. She swallowed hard the lump of sadness that built in her throat. She always felt a great sense of loss when they parted, either physically or mentally. It brought forth thoughts of what would happen when the day finally came when she would have to return to Japan and his Clan's Elders would most likely forbid him to return with her. She needed to be near him. She pushed the thoughts away with a quick shake of her head.

_Genki thoughts, Sakura, _she told herself. Smile, everything will surely be alright.

She quickly brushed the tangled out of her hair, squared her shoulders bravely, and then re-entered her noisy bedroom. Her friends immediately surrounded her from all sides with fabric and measuring tape in hand. The Mistress of the Cards groaned silently to herself as she was measured and wrapped in yards silk and lace.

_This is going to be a long day._

* * *

"I have to admit, Li, this entire place and your family is pretty impressive." Yamazaki Takashi voiced as he gave the vast Reception Hall an appreciative glance. "It kind of reminds me of a book I read on the history of banquets. There was one about the Hahn Dynasty where the Emperor kept building larger and larger rooms in his palace to accommodate all his guests. That was actually the origins of palaces, you know. Everyone used to try to surpass each other in the way of party sizes and the number of guests one could house at any given time. It's said the Great Wall of China is actually the outer battlements of the world's largest palace that got swallowed up by an earthquake."

Li Syaoran raised a skeptical eyebrow as Kinomoto Fujitaka, Kinomoto Touya, Tsukisiro Yukito and Keroberus blinked repeatedly at Takashi's small monologue. The way he had said it, so professionally, left even the archeology professor wondering if this was really true. But, due to years of experience from being around the Japanese teen in school, Syaoran doubted the validity of this story. He gripped Takashi's shoulder firmly with a stern look. 

"Yamazaki, my friend, what would your dear Chiharu say to you right now?" he questioned in a scolding tone.

"I'd tell him to stop lying, that's what." an amused voice announced from behind the creative teen.

He whirled around in surprise to face a lovely girl with bright red hair. She was dressed in a sleek black gown. Slim spaghetti straps draped over her shoulders, a long slit revealing most of her right leg. A simple strip of black velvet hugged her throat. Takashi felt his mouth go dry at the sight of his long time girlfriend. Chiharu giggled at his expression.

"Now here's something I never thought I'd see. Takashi at a loss for words." she quipped, enticing a laugh from the small group of men.

Takashi blushed. "Hai, hai, I get the message in that. Close my mouth before I drool or say something stupid, ne?"

"Hai." she giggled, fixing the lapels of his black tuxedo.

"Ah, speaking of messages..." Syaoran suddenly stated as he fished out two rather bulky envelopes from his suit jacket. "These are for you." and he handed the items to Touya and Yukito.

Eternal smiling Yukito looked puzzled. "What are these?"

"Those are brief physical descriptions, home addresses, and phone numbers to nearly all my eligible female Cousins,... as per their insistences." he ended in a mutter with a sidelong glance at the Hall.

Touya blinked. "They're what!?"

The warrior chuckled. "You two have turned quite a few heads. Just a small warning though. We Li are a stubborn lot. We can wait for as long as it takes to get what we want."

"Is that what you did with my Imoto, gaki?"

"Touya!" Kinomoto-san admonished.

"No, Kinomoto-san, it's alright." the young sorcerer placated. "He'll obviously never forgive me for hurting Sakura all those years ago. Kami-sama knows I haven't yet forgiven myself. But that's something I've learned to accept from him... for Sakura's sake. No, Touya, I didn't sit by and wait for Sakura to come to me. In fact, and don't ask me how that's possible, I hated her. I hated her for being the Card Mistress. I wanted nothing to do with her, but we were fighting for the same thing so we kept running into each other. I didn't wait for her, she won me over just by being herself, by not trying to be more than just my friend. I love her more than anything and would die rather than let her be hurt ever again."

The elder Kinomoto sibling stared at him long and hard, gauging the weight of his words. "You promise that?" he finally asked.

"I promise and swear it."

"You're still not forgiven, but I guess I have to let my Imoto make her own mistakes."

"Speaking of Sakura, where is she?" Fujitaka thought to ask in an attempt to change the subject.

Chiharu smiled smugly. "Daidouji-san and Li's Sisters insisted for a dramatic entrance. Didn't take much to convince the rest of them. They should be here in the next few minutes. Tomoyo really out-did herself with this dress, even if she says it's a copy of one Sakura wore before. Be prepared to be floored."

As if her words had been a signal, the massive mahogany doors to the Reception Hall opened and in giggled Syaoran's four Sisters, Daidouji Sonomi and Tomoyo, Meilin, Rika and Naoko. They were all grouped close together to conceal someone in their midst. Everyone gathered in the Hall turned to peer at this group in curiosity. Then, after being satisfied that indeed everyone was watching and with much dramatic flair for Tomoyo's ever present video camera, the women peeled themselves away to reveal the individual standing at their center. Soft gasps and murmurs of appreciation rippled through the vast crowd of Li Clansmen at the now blushing Mistress of the Clow Cards. It was the same model as the last ball gown she had worn, only this time it was made of silver colored crushed velvet. Syaoran felt his heart begin to race at the sight of his much-loved Cherry Blossom standing there, looking adorably bashful from all the attention she garnered from his many relatives.

With an amused smirk, Chiharu gave Syaoran's shoulder a slight shove. "Go on, Romeo, your Juliet awaits."

The sorcerer blinked back to reality, lost for a moment. "Nani? Oh right!" But he stopped in mid-step and turned to bow in respect to Fujitaka. "By your leave, Kinomoto-san."

Fujitaka chuckled silently to the young man before him and returned the bow. "Of course, Li."

Straightening with a grateful smile, Syaoran turned and walked briskly to his ladylove. She smiled at him shyly, almost demurely, as he approached. The sorcerer tenderly took Sakura's hands in his own to tug her just a little closer, sharing a loving gaze with the ethereal sorceress. He couldn't resist the urge to touch her, gently cupping her cheek, gliding his thumb across her cheekbone. Her delicate hands curled into the lapels of his tuxedo's jacket, tugging ever so slightly to keep him close. He looked so regally handsome in the dark formal attire.

"I risk dying from lack of breath." he whispered.

Her features became endearingly confused.

"Each time I see you, you take my breath away." he explained, gently gripping her chin.

Emerald eyes smiled and blinked in awe as a deep rosy hue spread across her cheeks.

Syaoran chuckled. "And again."

Sakura giggled softly. "Exactly when did you inherit such a honey coated silver tongue?" she quipped.

He shrugged. "I always had it, I just never had a reason to put it to use until you entered my life."

A thrilling shiver raced up the young sorceress's spine from his soft admission and the look in his dark amber eyes. Sakura always felt the warmest of sensations when she looked into those fiery orbs. At that moment part of her didn't care what the guests would think of her, she just wanted to drag him away from so many watching eyes to be completely alone with him. 

She stopped herself before any more ideas could form. Emotionally, those were painful wishes to have. She wanted to laugh out loud at the cruel role reversal that this situation had now become. Only a few short weeks ago Syaoran had been the one dreading the day he would have to leave her to return home. Now she was the one who would someday leave. More than anything she wanted to stay. The original reason she had come here had been to find out more information and stop Mummaro's Gate. That was done now. There was no real reason left for her to stay. She forced herself to smile nonetheless. This was supposed to be a happy time for him, he had put so much time and effort into making this night special for a reason she didn't yet know. But she wouldn't ruin it for him with her sad thoughts. She saw his expression change slightly and realized that it didn't matter what kind of brave front she put on, he would always be able to feel what she felt. His brows began to knit together in concern.

_What's wrong?_ he whispered in her mind.

She smiled sweetly. Ask me again sometime.

Thankfully he didn't press the subject, feeling her reluctance to talk about it just yet. Instead he took her hands once again and led her towards the lengthy banquet table. The other guests followed the young pair's lead and began to take their seats as well. Sakura noticed how the seating arrangements were almost identical to the first banquet she had attended on this island estate. All her family and friends were seated near the head of the table as well, next to the hierarchy of Syaoran's Clan. It was quite an honor for them. Silently she wondered if they realized this. Just off to her left she could see her Otou-san and Syaoran conversing in hushed tones about something indeterminate.

_What are you two planning?_ she questioned silently.

The warrior paused in his conversation suddenly and turned to smile at his soul mate. "Patience, Love." and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

The meal continued pleasantly to the gentle sounds of music and intelligent conversation and the tantalizing scents of a sumptuous meal. Chiharu would pinch Takashi's arm every so often to silence another tall tale while Naoko pressed Keroberus for more information on magic and himself as the Guardian Beast thoroughly stuffed his face with food. Rika spoke with some of Syaoran's Cousins and his Okaa-san amiably about life in general. Sonomi and Sakura's Great Grandfather conversed with Tomoyo and Meilin, asking for more details about the sorceress and the two girls' obvious involvement in Card Capting. Touya and Yukito tried desperately not to come into eye contact with most of the single women in the room, while Fujitaka and Syaoran continued their secretive planning. The Elders seated at Sakura's right kept the young sorceress sufficiently distracted from that hushed conversation going on at her left with questions about her Okaa-san and her life in Japan. It was only when someone began tapping their knife on the edge of their glass that Sakura brought her attention back to her Otou-san and her boyfriend. Fujitaka had been the one to tap his glass to get everyone's attention. Both men were standing, looking a little nervous. 

The sorceress blinked. 

Her Otou-san never got nervous in front of a crowd.

"For those of you, honorable hosts, who don't know me, I am Kinomoto Fujitaka. I am Kinomoto Sakura's Otou-san. A few days ago I received the visit of Li Syaoran's spokeswoman, Li Ann-Lee, to negotiate on his behalf for something extremely precious to me. Both I and my Son, Touya, were reluctant to give up our precious treasure at first, but we knew that in the end if we refused we would be destroying our delicate flower."

Confused, Sakura watched her Onii-chan stand as well and bow with her Otou-san to the direct descendant of Clow Reed.

"We accept your offer and give you our permission and blessings in return." Fujitaka continued. "Now you must ask her for her permission."

The sorceress frowned ever so slightly.

_Her_ permission?

Who was this her?

Syaoran bowed to the family of his adored Cherry Blossom, paused to take a deep bracing breath, then turned to the living angel still seated at his right. He couldn't help but smile lovingly at the absolutely adorable puzzled look she sported. He gently took her left hand in both his own, caressing it unconsciously as he struggled inwardly with something. Sakura could easily feel his overwhelming sense of nervousness, but couldn't understand why he was feeling this.

What was going to happen?

The warrior suddenly squared his shoulders. A small chuckle broke from his lips. "You know, I've practiced this a million times in my mind and now I can't seem to find the words anymore."

A light ripple of laughter moved through those seated at the table, only serving to confuse the young sorceress even more. The Little Wolf swallowed hard in resolve and smiled down at the Mistress of the Cards.

"This is the second part of your surprise, my Ying Fa."

Her head tilted to one side slightly as she watched him go down on one knee, still not quite understanding what he meant.

She could feel his hands trembling slightly as they held hers. Deep amber eyes met emerald green, seeming to bore to her very soul while baring his all to her. She felt every delicious emotion rushing through him at that moment in time, burning herself on their incandescence. 

All his love.

All his loyalty.

All his devotion.

And especially his nervousness.

Part of her mind noticed how silent the Reception Hall had suddenly become, save for the soft whirring of Tomoyo's video camera.

"Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura." Syaoran began, his tone formal, his cheeks flushing. "Would you do me the immense honor and great pleasure of accepting to be my wife?"

Sakura's hand shot up to her mouth with a surprised gasp. She could barely believe it, could barely wrap her stunned mind around what she had just heard spoken from his very lips.

A proposal!

He loved her so much that he wanted to spend every second of the rest of his life with her. He wanted to be with her and only her. Awed tears misted her eyes at seeing the true depth of his emotions, a joyful smile spreading across her lips. Everyone in the Reception Hall began to shift anxiously in their seats, straining to hear what the Mistress of the Cards' answer would be to their Clansman's question. Syaoran watched her attentively, hopeful for a favorable answer as her hand lowered to her lap. And then, as if a light had just been lit in the dark, he knew. He could feel her acceptance and could see it written on her beautifully smiling face, but he still wanted to hear it. He still wanted to make absolutely sure.

One word.

All she had to say was one small word.

A happy, languid tear trailed down her smooth cheek. "Hai."

Syaoran blinked, unsure whether he had heard her right. "N-Nani?"

"Hai." Sakura repeated a little louder, a giddy giggle forcing its way out from her throat.

"H-Honto ne? H-Hai?"

She near laughed at the stunned elation flitting across his face. "Honto. Hai."

"Yokata!" he shouted in joy, leaping to his feet.

Congratulatory cheers and applauds ran through the crowd of friends, relatives and attendants for the happy new couple. The young warrior gently tugged his sorceress to her feet and enfolded her tightly in his arms. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in deep of his scent of autumn and incense. Every sad thought she might have had was now gone. She didn't have a reason to be sad anymore. She would get her wish. She would be able to stay with her adored Little Wolf. There were no words to describe what she felt at that moment. Happy was too inadequate a word. Elated was still far too tame a description. Euphoric didn't even come close. Rapturous would have to do until a new word could be found.

_Arigatou_, he whispered warmly in her mind.

_For what?_ she asked innocently.

Syaoran pulled back slightly to look into her mesmerizing green eyes. For making me happier than I ever dreamt possible, he smiled.

She returned the smile. You did the same to me just by asking that question. Arigatou.

He gently kissed her lips, heart achingly soft. Aishiteru.

_Aishiteru_, and she pressed closer to him to deepen the embrace.

Sonomi sighed a blissful smile at the sight of the two kissing teens. "Aren't they just so kawaii?" she cooed.

Tsukishiro nodded thoughtfully, a small frown creasing his wrinkled brow as he watched the fiancés sit. "There's something about them though." he voiced, stroking his short white beard.

"Tomoyo, make sure you capture every last second." Sonomi instructed her still taping Daughter. "What something, Grandfather?"

"If you watch them you can see them have complete conversations without once saying a word."

"Isn't young love grand that way?" she sighed.

"No, I don't think it's that, having to do with love that is. It's more than simply lovers' eye contact. I may be seeing things, but it's as if they really are talking to each other."

Sonomi chuckled lightly. "Now, Grandfather, you know as well as I do that what you're suggesting is impossible."

A grin snaked across Meilin's lips. "Not for them it isn't."

Both adults looked in confusion at the Chinese teen sitting on the other side of Tomoyo. "What do you mean?" Daidouji-san queried.

"You didn't notice it on Tomoyo's tapes?"

"Notice what?"

"Remember the tape where they fought the Death Card? Remember them merging, their eyes glowing white?"

The adults nodded.

"Sakura and Li are soul mates." Tomoyo continued. "The merging they did back when Li was a spirit just kick started what they always had. What they always felt. They told us once that it didn't matter where they were in the world, they could always feel where the other was. After the battle, little by little, they started to be able to feel what the other felt, to hear them. They're linked."

Tsukishiro and Sonomi stared at the cuddling pair across from them in slow realization. A smile spread across the elderly Japanese man's face, his thoughts drifting to Nadeshiko, his Granddaughter and Sakura's Okaa-san. He knew she would have loved to know just how happy her Daughter was now in the arms of this young Chinese man. Sakura and Li were soul mates and they were deeply in love. One usually never lived long enough to see such a beautiful sight. He felt blessed beyond words to have been able to witness this. His Great Granddaughter was getting married. Tsukishiro had regretted not having attended Nadeshiko's wedding, his reason having been blinded by his anger and resentment of young Kinomoto sensei that had swept her away so completely. He hoped attending this wedding would make amends.

Sonomi's mind was working feverishly to try to understand what it was her Daughter and Meilin had told her. The young fiancés were soul mates. They had been destined to be together since the moment they were conceived. And, due to their powerful and growing magic, they could feel it when the other half of their soul was near, could hear their very thoughts. She smiled almost whimsically. Their attraction made sense now. She had met the young Li warrior five years ago, had seen how competitive the two had been towards each other. Now that she thought about it, she saw that they were really trying to impress each other, not be enemies. She now understood why it was Sakura had tried so hard to get the reclusive youth to open up and be her friend. As soul mates they were naturally drawn to each other. Subconsciously, they were already in love.

"Kawaii!" she sighed in bliss for the two.

Tomoyo giggled at her Okaa-san. "Now you know why I was trying so hard to get them together. I just knew they were supposed to be in love."

Through her viewfinder she suddenly saw the Card Captors stiffen and examine their surroundings carefully. Keroberus, too, was giving the Hall a cautious glance, now ignoring the pastries before him. Tomoyo knew this look.

"Uh-oh."

Before anything could be said, the Card Captors leapt from their seats and raced to the terrace doors. Confused and curious, the gathered guests followed suit, preceded by the Guardian Beast of the Seal who had been a little slower in his charge due to an almost full stomach. Everyone stood at a relatively safe distance from the magical duo, watching them visually and magically scan the dark grounds. The young warrior already had his sword in hand, staying just a step in front of his sorceress to protect her. The estate grounds were shrouded in darkness from the depth of night, the stars being the only source of light. The soft chirps of crickets were the only other sounds heard.

Syaoran frowned at the pitch. Don't you just love it when they hide like this? he quipped darkly, tossing his jacket to an attendant.

_Hey, nobody said Card Capting was easy._ A few light bubbles abruptly flew by. "Nani? Bubbles?"

"It's the Bubble Card!" Keroberus called to them.

The sorcerer looked to the Beast. "What exactly does it do?"

"It can create bubbles of any size!"

"And?"

"That's it!"

Both Card Captors blinked, dumbfounded. What kind of a card was that for Clow Reed to have created?

_Guess that means it's an easy capture_, Sakura sent her fiancé.

_It feels a lot stronger than just a whimsical card_, he replied.

Playing a hunch, Sakura let her senses open up and focus on the strange multicolored auras all the Clow Cards seemed to possess. Sure enough there was the weak, buoyant ripple of magic that belonged to the Bubble Card, but there was another card's aura with it. There was another card.

No, two more cards with the Bubble Card.

Her green eyes flew open in surprise at this. "Three cards!"

Syaoran growled a curse. "What is it with these cards suddenly tag-teaming?"

Deeming it safer to be prepared, the young Mistress of the Cards held her key-like pendant out in front of her. It began to glow in response to her concentrated thoughts.

"O Key of Clow,

_Power of Magic, power of Light,_

_Surrender the Wand,_

_The Force ignite!_

_Release!_"

Magic and light began to swirl around her in a mad spiral of power, the tiny key metamorphosing into the Clow Sealing wand. She twirled it expertly like a majorette's baton, a look of sheer determination appearing on her lovely features.

"First things first, capturing the card we do know." she stated.

"The Bubble Card is a friendly card!" Keroberus called out. "It won't put up a fight!"

"That's good to know." the warrior grinned in relief. He then gave an exaggerated bow to the Card Mistress at his side. "After you, my Beloved."

She giggled. "You are just too sweet, my Little Wolf." Sakura took a few steps away from him and stood tall, her shoulders squared, her back straight. "Bubble Card! Reveal yourself in your true form!" she ordered into the night.

The slowly drifting bubbled began to swirl together wildly, coalescing into a form. At their center appeared the shape of a woman dressed in a fanciful blue gown, her light green hair up in twin curly pigtails. The more the woman twirled and laughed, the more bubbles would be blown into the wind. Sakura smirked at the card's physical representation.

"Bubble Card!" she called to it gently.

It stopped twirling and smiled down at the sorceress.

The teen crossed her arms over her chest in a scolding manner. "You've caused a fine mess." she chided it patiently.

Bubble bit its fingertip in genuine remorse, still smiling though more sheepishly now.

"It's time to go back now, Bubble."

The card nodded in happy agreement and easily floated down to stand tamely in front of its Mistress.

"Onegai, before I seal you, tell me do you know who the other two cards are?"

Bubble nodded and mimicked as best it could what the remaining attacking Clow Cards were, its face contorting in slight frustration as it tried to come up with a proper motion. But Sakura understood and smiled in thanks to the helpful card. She held up her wand and gently tapped the magical being's forehead.

"Return to your power confined. Bubble Card."

In response to her soft chant a glowing rectangle of magic materialized at the tip of her wand, almost crackling with energy. The still smiling Bubble Card dissolved into a swirling mass of mist and willingly entered the shimmering form before it. The geometric shape then floated into Sakura's waiting hand, Clow's magical circle dimming from sight. She turned to Syaoran, holding up the card and smiling proudly. He smiled in return.

"What did it say the other two cards are?" he queried.

"One is Cloud. The other is--"

But, before she could answer, a sheet of torrential rain fell from the sky only above her, therefore drenching only the lithe cheerleader. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the rain stopped with a light, tinkering giggle, leaving behind one very soaked sorceress.

She groaned, annoyed. "The other is the Rain Card." she sighed.

She shook her head to clear away some of the excess water from her face and hair just as she heard an amused snort. Looking up from wringing her dress of surfeit water she saw Syaoran trying vainly not to laugh at her predicament, hiding his grin behind his hand. She frowned at him, a small grin threatening to turn up the corners of her lips.

"You're not helping." she complained.

"Gomen." he snickered. "Need a towel?"

Just as he said this the sky seemed to open up above him and drench the young warrior in a powerful downpour. Sakura had to laugh at the sudden role reversal and at how pathetic her proud fiancé now looked when thoroughly soaked.

"You were saying, Love?" she quipped.

A tiny pair of almost crystalline voices laughed in pure enjoyment of what had just occurred.

Syaoran looked up at the overcast sky and growled low in menace to the two cards still hidden up there. "Right, I'll keep Cloud busy while you seal Rain." he instructed.

She nodded in agreement. "This shouldn't be too hard... I hope."

* * *

Dressed in a warmer bathrobe than the previous nights, Sakura plodded out of the bathroom on bare feet. She felt frozen to the core from the card battle only hours before. Even after her hot shower she continued to shiver. As it turned out Syaoran had gotten the easier of the two cards remaining, Cloud not really having any sort of annoying attack. Rain, on the other hand, could come very close to drowning a person with its endless supply of rain. But all that water had given the young sorceress an idea. A water element card had to be able to do something against another water element card, maybe even contain it. So she had tried the strongest water element she had in her possession: the Water Card. It had done the job perfectly, encasing the Rain Card in a liquid bubble, keeping it trapped for the sorceress to seal it. Syaoran had sufficiently weakened the Cloud Card by that time to make that capture infinitely simpler, but instead of floating to the Card Mistress's hand that card went to the warrior. She didn't contest it. Afterall, he had done all the work for that one.

"That capture was so incredible to watch first hand like that." Naoko voiced as Sakura sat on the edge of the bed.

"Easy for you to say." replied the sorceress. "You weren't the one getting soaked every few seconds."

Rika and Chiharu were going through the captured cards in the Book of Clow, marveling at each design and how much power they imagined each contained. Tomoyo sat with them, explaining each capture as she remembered them, spending more time describing each of the battle costumes Sakura had worn during each. At the head of the bed lounged mighty Keroberus, near dozing, with Meilin using his side as a pillow. The terra cotta eyed girl seemed to be completely engrossed in an old book propped against her up bent knees.

"What are you reading, Meilin?" Sakura queried as she leaned back against her Guardian's shoulder.

Meilin blinked, surprised out of her reading. "Nani? Oh, I'm just brushing up a bit."

"Brushing up?"

"Hai. On the more traditional wedding ceremonies."

Immediately all other conversations stopped to better concentrate on Meilin and her book. "Oh, tell us! Onegai!" pleaded Chiharu.

"Well, according to this book, everything will be decorated in red. Even the bride will be dressed in an elaborate red kimono."

"Nani? Why red?" queried Rika.

"In China, red means good luck, joy and wealth." the Chinese teen explained. "There are tiny traditions you and Syaoran will have to do before the wedding day, Sakura, to ensure good luck, but on the day itself you might get bored from all the pomp and circumstance."

"No, I won't!" Sakura protested. "I only get bored if I don't pay attention or I don't take something seriously. For this, I will pay complete attention and I will take it all very seriously."

Meilin grinned. "Even through hours and hours of ceremonial praying to the gods and our ancestors?"

"Hai."

"And through serving tea to all the elders of both of our families?"

"Hai."

"And through the seven day banquet?"

"Hai."

Keroberus's head snapped up. "Seven days of food? Sugoi! I've died and gone to the Celestial Temple."

All the gathered teens laughed at this. Naoko then reached over and took the ancient looking tome away from Meilin, adjusting her glasses to better read the characters neatly inked on each page.

"I absolutely adore that translation spell Li-san used on us." she grinned. "Let's see... On the day of the wedding the bride isn't allowed to touch the ground until after she's married. She's carried everywhere by servants until then... The groom can't see her face until the wedding night... And during the banquet she and the groom are not allowed to sneak off to be alone until after the guests leave... That even extends to when they're in the bedroom. According to this family members sometimes play tricks on them until either the spokeswomen throws them out or the groom charges at them to scare them away."

Tomoyo giggled. "Knowing Li, he'll scare them away. What does it say about the planning?" she then asked, her violet eyes sparkling.

Meilin grinned sympathetically. "That's all up to Li-san, Kinomoto-san, and the Elders. Neither Syaoran nor Sakura, nor anyone else has anything to do with those plans unless so asked. The happy couple just agree."

A small smile appeared on the Mistress of the Cards lips. "The good thing about that is that it takes away all the major worries from us."

"And the bad thing?" Chiharu probed.

"We have to suffer through Tomoyo bemoaning about the dresses and decorations she could have designed for this." answered Meilin as she pointed to a moping videographer.

"I just better be allowed to videotape everything or I am seriously going to get ticked off, Elders or not." this one grumbled, making those with her laugh a little nervously.

* * *

Li Syaoran felt cold. 

Very cold and alone. 

He could feel Sakura's presence just on the other side of the wall above his head. She was asleep now, her aura at peace now that her friends had finally left her for the night. He had been able to hear most of their conversation until then. It had been about the wedding and the preparations for it. He allowed himself a smile, still not quite believing what would happen within the next week. He would marry the girl of his dreams, the only woman he knew he was meant to be with. The warrior could feel the magical aura belonging to Keroberus in the same room as Sakura. At that very moment in time he felt jealous of the Guardian Beast of the Seal. He could be with her night and day, could lie next to her at night without a care in the world and no one would worry about it. Where as if Syaoran did this he was either deemed obsessed or out to get lucky, as Chiharu had so cleverly called it. The warrior flopped over to his back from the tight ball he had been curled into and just stared at the ceiling. Life seemed just a little more unfair now that he was engaged to his angel. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, to hold her, to breathe in her intoxicating scent, but those around them were far too afraid that it could lead to something traditionally best left until after the wedding.

_Damn traditions sometimes_, he sighed.

He reached out with his senses and let his aura gently brush the soothing presence of his adored sorceress. It reacted unconsciously to him, allowing his presence to blend with hers. Silently he wondered how it was that, even though his beloved was in the next room, she felt so incredibly far.

Was it because he longed to be near her?

Hai, he did have that longing and many more that made his blood boil and his usually chaste thoughts of her turn hentai. But the feeling he was presently experiencing was due to something more than just longing. It was something deeper. A horrid thought occurred to him.

Did this feeling mean their link was fading?

Sakura's aura shifted against his senses and he winced in remorse. His horror at the thought of losing his link with her had woken her from her peaceful sleep.

"I have to stop thinking so hard at night." he muttered ever so softly to the silence, his eyes closing.

_But I like to hear you thinking_, Sakura's sweet voice whispered into his mind. I like hearing your voice. It makes me feel safe knowing you're always nearby.

_I woke you up though. Gomen ne._

He could feel her smile gently. It's okay. There was a slight pause where he could feel her debating with herself about something. May... May I come over?

He smiled kindly to the empty room. You never have to ask me that.

Her presence in his mind seemed to light up with the most incredible smile from her, a smile that chased away most of the cold he still felt. She was simply amazing that way. Through the wall he faintly heard her bedroom door open silently, then close again just as gently. Mere seconds later her heard his own door open and close, the faint scent of delicate cherry blossoms wafting to his nose as he heard her pad across his carpet on bare feet. His smile broadened by a fraction. He was certain that there would never come a day when he would ever tire of that sweet scent from her. The bed shifted ever so slightly as she settled at his side on the King sized mattress.

"You look content." Sakura murmured to him, a smile in her voice.

Syaoran opened his eyes to see her sitting on her hip comfortably, leaning on her hand. She seemed to glow, even in the dark. "I have every reason now to feel content." He then crooked an eyebrow teasingly at her appearance. "Flannel?"

She grinned shyly, toying with the hem of her oversized pyjama's shirt. "Tomoyo nearly had a fit when I refused to wear one of her lacy nothings she had created."

"I can imagine." he chuckled lightly.

"But I was and am cold so I opted for warmth instead of wispy."

"We had the same idea then." and he gave his own warm pyjama's collar a tug. "Though I think I would've really enjoyed seeing you in those lacy nothings she designed for you. I bet they were real eye candy." he smirked roguishly.

She took a playful swipe at his shoulder with a mock pout, unable to stop her giggle or her blush. "Oh, hush! I didn't feel like turning into a Smurf--"

"Smurfette." he corrected.

"Whatever. Besides, you'll get to see all of that on our honeymoon..."

She trailed off abruptly, a strange look crossing her face and entering her eyes. Syaoran didn't recognize this look nor the feeling he felt arcing across to him over their bond. It was almost like a mixture of everything and nothing at once. He sat up quickly and faced her in worry.

"Nani? What is it?"

She began to giggle uncontrollably. In the evening darkness he saw her cheeks turn a deeper shade from a blush. He blinked repeatedly at her in confusion. He couldn't understand why she was blushing or giggling.

"Our honeymoon." she finally tittered in response to his expression.

Again he blinked, then a slow smile crossed his lips. "Oh, is that all." and he lay back down, his arms behind his head casually.

It was her turn to blink. "It that all? Is that all?" she exclaimed in disbelief. Sakura leaned over him to peer into his innocently grinning features. "Do you realize that you and I will be spending the rest of our lives together?"

"Ah, the bliss!" he quipped, flashing a smile.

"Do you realize that in a week you and I will be getting married?" she insisted.

He simply grinned against, impishly. "Hai, I know. I'm the one who set all this in motion, remember?"

"Mou..." she mock frowned at him. 

She could feel his own nervousness at it all, but he wasn't allowing himself to show it. He was tense, afraid she would suddenly back out of this at any given time. She could easily feel his deep, underlying fear of losing her. Then a devilish smirk turned up the corners of her lips. 

"Turn over." she instructed, nudging his side.

He eyed her cautiously. "What for?"

"You'll see, now turn over."

He did so, lying as comfortably as possible on his stomach, chin resting on his arms. He felt his mattress shift again slightly as Sakura moved closer to him and was greatly surprised when he felt her unexpectedly straddle his waist to sit on his rump. A small frown marred his handsome features as he turned his head to see her in his periphery.

"What're you doing?" he queried, mystified.

"Shh, you need to relax, Syaoran." she soothed.

Before he could even question what she meant by this or what she was planning, he felt her press her palms firmly into his shoulder blades and start to move her hands in slow circles. The tension release that followed her actions was almost painful so much it felt so good. The warrior groaned long and low in pure enjoyment. He could feel every knot, every stress just melt away from her ministrations. Her thumb pressed into the junction of his shoulder muscle and the back of his neck next.

"Oh, yeah, that's the spot." he moaned into his pillow, his body melting under her hands.

She smiled, pleased at his reactions, and continued lower along his back. "Meditations may be great and good to calm the mind and spirit, but nothing beats a massage." she whispered to him, lavishing attention to every muscle in his back.

A goofy grin appeared on his face. "Especially when it's given by the most incredible of angels." he mumbled.

"Sweet talker." she accused quietly, placing a tender kiss in the hollow behind his ear.

Syaoran groaned again in enjoyment when her fingers found another sore spot. "Where did you learn to do this anyway?"

"Years of practice giving Otou-san back rubs."

"Mmmmm, lucky man."

"He was always so wound up and tense after he came home from a dig or a lecture."

He nodded into the depths of his pillow, barely able to speak anymore. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so impossibly relaxed and at peace. He never saw the positively devilish glint that entered her lively green eyes at that moment. She pressed her thumbs firmly along his spine, enticing another pleasured groan from the warrior. Sakura grinned. She liked having this kind of control over him. She leaned over him slightly to bring her lips closer to his ear.

"Syaoran?" she cooed softly.

"Hmmm?" he acknowledged sleepily.

"You left your defenses down, my Little Wolf." she whispered.

"Hmm? Nani?" he drawled.

Syaoran barely felt her light fingers trail up and down his sides teasingly so much he was nearing sleep. He made a small sound, halfway between a moan and a grunt. Sakura's touches then became a little more deliberate and definite. He huffed an unbidden smile in response as a breathy giggle escapes her throat. Sunset gold eyes brusquely snapped open in almost dreaded realization. This was no longer an incredible massage or a gentle caress. He raised his head off if his arms and looked at her from over his shoulder.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" came her innocent reply as she smiled.

"You wouldn't...?"

"Wouldn't what, Syaoran?" she asked, her fingers tracing his sides ever so lightly.

He squirmed a bit, swallowing a laugh. She giggled again and that was when he understood that their link was allowing her to share in the torture she was causing. He wondered if she knew this. Syaoran tried to scramble out from under her, but she merely squeezed her knees together at his waist to keep him in place beneath her.

"Sakura, don't you dare!" he warned, his voice rising a notch in apprehension.

She grinned maliciously. "Umm... I dare!"

Her nimble fingers easily found all his most ticklish spots and launched an attack on each one mercilessly. The helpless warrior couldn't help but laugh in reaction from the onslaught, squirming and wriggling wildly in an attempt to get away from his sorceress. She, too, laughed uncontrollably from the sensations she felt from him, that she caused, across their link. It was an amazing experience. She could almost truly feel fingers traveling along her sides and worrying at pleasantly sensitive ribs. Both the sorcerer and the Card Mistress began feeling lightheaded from all the laughter, their lungs beginning to burn for more air than they were getting. At last, in a supreme effort over his laughing fit, Syaoran managed to roll out from under Sakura still seated on his waist. He sat up quickly, grabbed hold of her wrists to pull her roaming hands away from his sides, and twisted her around to pin her back against his chest, letting himself drop back down to the mattress as he held her arms against her. She struggled for a moment, then settled down when it was obvious he wouldn't release her so long as she was still a threat to his ticklish spots. They panted for breath, slight giggles and chuckles escaping them still.

"Holy terror." he smiled breathlessly against her ear.

A light titter gently shook her frame. She shifted a bit, freeing her wrists from his restraining grasp, then turned to face him. A sweet smile adorned her lips, a loving gaze in her emerald eyes. His amber eyes easily returned the gaze. Syaoran felt blessed beyond words that such an angel loved him as much as he loved her. He had once believed himself to be cursed to live his life alone, to pine away for the enchantress for the rest of his life and never have her. 

Not anymore. 

He pulled her closer to his chest, ever so lightly brushing his lips to hers in a sensual tease. She shivered pleasurably, as he had anticipated. He was quickly learning what she enjoyed him doing to her.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he smiled softly against her lips, his voice a bare whisper.

She grinned. "Not since you proposed."

He chuckled. "Then let me make amends to you, my Ying Fa. Aishiteru." he whispered against her cheek before placing a soft kiss there. "Aishiteru." and his lips brushed a kiss on her other cheek. "Aishiteru." and he claimed her lips in an ever so tender embrace.

The mixture of a blissful sigh and a pleasured moan escaped her throat as her lips parted to deepen the embrace. Her hands slid up the planes of his chest to allow her arms to wrap around his neck. Both would have to fight with themselves to keep from going too far, but this night neither of them would get much sleep.

* * *

Daidouji Tomoyo fidgeted slightly as she, Li Lerae and Daidouji Sonomi dug through mounds and mounds of fabulous red fabrics. Off to the side of them lay three more piles of cloth they still had left to sort through, each colored pale green, light blue and soft pink of various prints and textures. The three women had been up since the very crack of dawn to begin this task. Only the most perfect shades of each of the four colors could be chosen for the next step.

"You're sure it's alright with you, Li-san, that I design Sakura's wedding kimonos?" Tomoyo queried nervously.

Lerae looked up from the swath she was examining and smiled gently. "It is quite alright, Tomoyo." she answered. "From what I have seen during Sakura's stay with us and from what I have seen on your video tapes, the clothes you design are very lovely. And you seem to take great pleasure in creating these designs. I would never dream of depriving you of this joy."

"My Tomoyo is going to make an absolutely fabulous fashion designer someday soon." Sonomi beamed proudly.

"Only because Sakura is such a great model for me." her Daughter protested.

"Nonsense! The Amamiya women are tenacious and creative workers and thinkers. You're following in a long line of business women." Sonomi fished out another swath of cloth from the pile. "What do you think about this shade of red?"

The teen looked over the selection critically. It was a fabulous shade, not too bright and not too dark, not too purple and not too orange. The right balance of every color. Faint, intricate patterns were interwoven into the cloth in gold thread. Tomoyo's mind worked quickly, imagining various makes and models of kimonos using this fabric. As the twentieth design crossed her mind's eye a slow smile appeared on her face.

"This one will be perfect to make the ceremonial kimono." She looked up suddenly. "Unless you already have a ceremonial one for her to wear?" she questioned Lerae. "You know, a traditional one?"

Lerae shook her head with a tiny smile. "No. That one was unfortunately lost in a fire when Xiao Lang was but three years of age. It was a terrible accident in the kitchens that we could not control fast enough. Since then all the women entering our Clan have been allowed to design their own unique kimono for the ceremony."

The girl's eyes lit up brightly. "Sugoi! I'll make her something totally spectacular to wear. May I design those for the rest of the wedding party too?"

Both Sonomi and Lerae smiled at Tomoyo's energy and exuberance when it came to making clothes of any kind. She was a force to be reckoned with.

"Of course you may." Lerae near chuckled.

Tomoyo nearly leapt for joy. "Arigatou!"

* * *

The week flew by quickly due to all the hectic preparations for the fateful day where the Mistress of the Clow Cards would enter into the Li Clan. A momentous occasion required everything to be absolutely perfect down to the minutest detail. For the entire time leading up to that day the young soul mates were kept separate from each other. It was a long-standing Clan tradition that every couple had to be kept apart to ensure nothing would happen until after they were wed. Sakura was moved out of her room next to Syaoran's and was relocated into the estate wing where all her friends and family from Japan were staying. It had been hard of the young couple to be apart this way. To love someone as deeply as they loved each other, but to be forbidden to physically be with them for even a moment was torture. Occasionally they would catch a fleeting glimpse of each other as they passed in the hallways, but never once would their escorts allow them to come near each other. The only contact they had left was their unique link and they put that blessed gift to good use. Every night they would let their minds and hearts reach out over the expanse dividing them and meet halfway in a ghostly embrace. It was the only way they could somehow be together when all of their family and friends followed the tradition to keep the bride and groom apart until the wedding day no matter what.

Tonight was no exception.

Sakura's breath was slow and steady, her eyes shut to the world around her as she kneeled on the carpeted floor of her bedroom, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She stayed perfectly still in the dark of her room. Keroberus lay on her bed, watching her carefully, marveling at the control she showed with her newest of abilities. Only moments ago she had bathed and changed into some new lace nightwear of an emerald green that Tomoyo had supplied her with. As soon as she had been given this item she had been left alone for the night. Before her bath she had lit some incense on a small prayer altar set against one of her room's walls, the incense's pungent aroma now soothing her nervousness as it filled the room in near invisible smoke. Sakura was kneeling facing the small altar, but she was neither praying nor meditating. She was communicating with her soul mate, her beloved Little Wolf, as she had done every night for the last week.

_Are you nervous about tomorrow, Sakura?_ Li Syaoran's voice drifted gently into her mind.

_Nervous, terrified, excited... Take your pick, but I'm loving every second of this_, she smiled. And you?

_Hai, but I think I'm more anxious than nervous... unlike your Onii-chan. From what I hear he's becoming more and more irritable the closer we get to tomorrow_, he chuckled lightly.

_That's putting it mildly. He won't let me out of his sight for a second unless he's sure I'm locked away in my room and can't get out._

Again Syaoran chuckled. The case of the over-protective Onii-chan. I just hope he doesn't plan to camp out in our bedroom afterwards.

Sakura giggled softly. I like the way that sounds.

_The way what sounds?_

**_Our_**_ bedroom._

_She felt him smile seductively, the gentle feel of phantom hands trailing up and down her bare arms. Hai. Our bedroom,... with our bed,... with our rumpled sheets. _

Sakura shivered. Onegai, stop, being away from you is torture enough, Syaoran. 

Gomen ne, he apologized in genuine remorse.

The sorceress winced at his reaction. She hadn't meant for that to happen. She had to make amends. Carefully she focused her mind on her fiancé, picturing her arms wrapping him in a warm and loving embrace. His mind sighed ever so softly at her ghostly touch. Spectral arms wrapped around her form, holding her tight. She was almost able to pick up his familiar and soothing scent so much the sensations felt incredibly real. Focusing her mind again she saw herself gently kissing her partner in Card Capting. He responded easily and willingly. It was as if she could truly feel his lips on hers. Her spiritual self clung to him, reveling in the sensations he woke in her. Meanwhile the mental projection of his hands began to drift across her back to grip her arms. But then he suddenly stopped, pulling himself away from her, leaving the Card Mistress dizzy. Her physical self was left breathless.

Why... why did you stop? she finally questioned when she had recomposed herself enough.

She could feel him struggling with himself for control before answering. As... as much as I would love to see and feel just how far we could go like this, it would be safer if we waited still. 

She smiled softly in understanding. Hai, you're right. No use getting impatient now, is there? 

Sakura felt him smile. Hai, he answered.

After tomorrow, you and I will have the rest of our lives together, she cooed mentally.

Infinite eternities wouldn't be long enough, his voice whispered, causing her to shiver pleasantly. Aishiteru, Sakura. 

She allowed her mind to brush his in a loving caress. Aishiteru, Syaoran. 

With a lingering smile, his presence faded from her mind just as a soft knock sounded on her bedroom door. It opened before she could acknowledge it. Opening her eyes she saw her Otou-san peering in at her, his eternal Fatherly smile on his face.

"'Tou-san?" she questioned.

"One of Li's Cousins is here for the hair combing ritual." he told her.

The cheerleader nodded to him and got back to her feet just as a humbled woman stepped into the room. She bowed to the sorceress and indicated a chair near the window for her to sit in. Once Sakura was seated, bathed in the pale glow of the thin crescent moon, the woman picked up a brush from the vanity table and approached her.

"This is truly an honor for me to have been chosen to do this, Card Mistress." she fidgeted as she carefully removed the ties that held Sakura's hair in two tiny ponytails.

"What's your name?"

"Low Ma, Card Mistress."

"Low Ma, onegai, just call me Sakura. Tell me about this ritual?"

The woman smiled ever so slightly. "It is meant to symbolize your and Li-sama's adulthood." she explained as she delicately brushed the teen's honey auburn locks. "The hair needs to be combed four times, each time consisting of forty nine strokes for extra luck. Each combing has a special meaning."

"Tell me?"

Low Ma chuckled softly. "The first combing symbolizes from the beginning until the end. The second symbolizes harmony from now until old age. Sons and Grandsons all over the place is what the third combing symbolizes. And the fourth combing wishes good wealth, health and a long-lasting marriage."

A whimsical smile appeared on Sakura's lips. "How beautiful."

"In this tradition, every action has a specific meaning. In the morning, Card Mistress, you will be immersed in a custom that is far older than even our Clan. I have always seen it as a romantic ceremony."

Sakura smirked. "Nothing against a little romance."

Low Ma, too, smirked. "No, of course not. I pray that you and Li-sama have many long years of love and romance."

The sorceress smiled at the night. "I know we will."

* * *

The morning sun crept slowly over the horizon, announcing the beginning of a most joyous day. As the great celestial orb warmed the isle of Bing Di Lian, raising wispy banks of mist along the ground of the vast estate, attendants began the final preparations for the day's events and the days that would follow. Shortly after the attendants woke did the rest of the Li Clan estate awake as well. Spirits were high as everyone got ready for a day that would always be remembered until the end of time. In the guest wing of the estate's main house, all of Kinomoto Sakura's female relatives and friends from Japan were gathered around the young sorceress to help her dress for the happy occasion. She was now wearing the fabulous red kimono Tomoyo had designed for her. It had been purposefully designed to mask every feminine curve the Card Mistress possessed.

"It's to drive Li wild." the Daidouji teen had explained with a mysterious Cheshire cat grin.

Everyone else was dressed in kimonos as well, each one wearing a color that flattered them the best. Sakura stood as still as she could while Rika and Chiharu styled her hair simply yet elegantly. Tomoyo was occupied putting the final touches on the hem line while Sonomi and Naoko prepared the ornate and beaded Phoenix headpiece that would hide Sakura's face with a bright red, near opaque veil. Meilin busied herself coaching the nervous Mistress of the Cards on what she had to do during the actual wedding ceremony, reassuring her that everything would be fine. The men were allowed to watch these last finishing touches from the door to the bedroom, standing proud in their own ceremonial kimonos. Keroberus, in his full form, lounged on the end of the bed, watching the women fuss over his Mistress.

"Nadeshiko must be proud of her little girl." Tsukishiro murmured, squaring his shoulders with pride.

Yukito nodded in agreement. "No doubt about that. You can almost feel her smiling down on all of us."

"Hai."

Touya smirked playfully at his Imoto. "Well, look at that. The kaijou's all dressed up."

Sakura shot him a half-hearted annoyed glare. "I am not a kaijou."

"Touya, be nice to your Imoto. This is a special day for her." Fujitaka chided as he approached his Daughter. He cupped her face gently, the hint of tears playing in his smiling eyes. "My little girl... all grown up."

Sakura had heard his voice quiver ever so slightly and it brought tears to her own eyes. Her Otou-san was afraid that he was losing his only Daughter to a new family and new land. She threw her arms around her Otou-san's waist, burying her face in his chest to hide her own threatening tears.

"I'll always be your little girl, 'Tou-san." she very nearly sobbed. "You're not losing a Daughter. You're gaining a Son."

"A wise man once said a family is never diminished by a wedding." Takashi stated seriously. "A marriage only makes a family grow."

"For once, he's telling the truth." Chiharu nodded in agreement.

Wiping the mist from his eyes, Kinomoto Fujitaka smiled at them in thanks. "I'm being overly sentimental today, I guess. I can't help it. It's not every day that your little girl gets married."

"And what a beautiful bride she makes." Sonomi smiled, securing the elaborate headpiece to Sakura's head.

A gentle knock sounded on the door to the Kinomoto family's suite. Yukito went to answer the door while everyone began to gather in the main room for pictures of the happy bride hidden behind her veil. At the door stood Li Ann-Lee dressed in her finest midnight blue silks with bright leaf prints. Behind her stood a grouping of attendants, four of which were carrying a sedan chair decorated in good luck charms, tokens against bad or evil influences, and endless yards of red silk. With them stood a procession of musicians. They all bowed to those within the suite.

"We are here to bring the Card Mistress to the temple." the elderly woman announced eloquently.

* * *

Li Syaoran, mightiest sorcerer and warrior of the powerful Li Clan, stood stoic and still as he stared out of the open temple doors to the estate ground beyond. Red silk floated in the wind from every possible location, adding an almost surreal quality to the day. In a few minutes his wife-to-be would be carried up to that very door and then she would glide gracefully towards him. His Cherry Blossom, Sakura. Outside, Syaoran was the picture of calm, not a twitch or nervous habit showing. Inside was a much different story. He was a raging bundle of nerves ready to burst at any given second from the immense joy he felt in his heart. He could barely believe it. His angel would soon be his wife. It made him tingle all over pleasantly in anticipation. He looked to his Okaa-san discretely and found her grinning in amusement. He blinked at this.

"What's so funny, Ma-Ma?" he whispered.

"Your attempt at remaining calm, Xiao Lang." she near chuckled softly. "You are becoming the color of a ripe tomato."

Syaoran looked away quickly, now feeling the warmth of the blush darkening his cheeks. "I never knew I'd be this nervous." he admitted. "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised about it considering who it is I'm about to marry."

"If it is any comfort to you, I once heard you Otou-san felt much the same way as you on our wedding day."

He glanced at her with a smirk. "The Li men are lucky then."

She blinked. "What has led you to believe this?"

"So far we all married beautiful women."

Lerae looked at her Son, noting his impish grin as he stared ahead of himself. She gave him a grateful, Motherly smile before returning her eyes to the doors as well. The Card Mistress had indeed been a positive influence on the once reclusive young warrior, teaching him that it was perfectly acceptable for a fighter to show his feelings to the world every so often, that it was not a weakness as he had been taught.

"I must match the color of my robes now." Lerae heard her Son quip softly.

She stifled a chuckle as the din of gongs, drums and firecrackers filled the air. The bridal procession had arrived. The Clan matriarch and the teen sorcerer watched as the attendants carried the sedan chair up the short steps to the temple doors where the came to a stop. Another attendant appeared to lay a red mat in front of the sedan as the carriers carefully lowered it enough to allow the red clad Card Mistress to disembark. The mat was to prevent her from touching the ground before she crossed the threshold. Syaoran felt his heart begin to thump loud and fast. Frozen in place all he could do was watch Sakura begin to walk towards him, her family and friends filing in behind her to join his own relatives already seated along the walls to witness the ceremony. He caught sight of Tomoyo filming the entire event with her ever present video camera, a broad grin plastered on her face in giddy enjoyment. Sakura came to stand before Syaoran and his Okaa-san and bowed deeply to them in respect, which they reciprocated. The male Card Captor could have sworn he felt the warmth of her million-watt smile shining through her opaque veil. When the Mistress of the Cards straightened Li-san stepped aside to allow her to take her place at Syaoran side. Together, the young couple approached and knelt before the Li Clan's family altar to pray and pay their respects to the Heaven and Earth, the Li ancestors, and Tsao-Chün, the Kitchen God. Keroberus sat a few meters behind his Mistress in his function of Guardian Beast of the Seal of Clow and as her Guardian. It was his duty. Tedious hours passed, the Card Captors not moving from their kneeling position, seemingly completely engrossed in their prayers of favorable outcomes and good health and fortune.

Tomoyo did it on purpose to make your kimono so bulky, didn't she? the groom suddenly sent to his bride.

Syaoran, you're supposed to be praying, she admonished with a mental smile.

I am praying. Praying that this ceremony ends soon. 

She giggled in his mind. My turn to tell you to be patient. 

A week of not being able to see you or hold you is a little more than I can stand. 

Again she giggled, more gently this time. Is this how you were when we were apart back in Japan? 

Hai. 

My poor, beloved Little Wolf. 

Before he could answer, a temple priest and his acolyte, carrying a small platter and a goblet, came to stand in front of the Card Captors. The priest motioned the pair to turn and face each other. He then took the platter from his acolyte and held it between them. On it were two bite-sized pieces of sugar molded in the shape of roosters. The young warrior could feel his beloved's confusion at this particular ritual.

The rooster is for longevity, he explained as he picked up one of the sugar effigies. The sugar is for sweet relations between our two families and us. 

He carefully raised the sweet to where her lips would be behind the veil. In response Sakura raised the red silk just high enough to allow him to feed her the carved sugar without yet seeing her face. Syaoran gently brushed her soft, parted lips in the act, sending pleasant tingles up both their spines. Their first physical contact in a week. When he finally took his hand away she reached down to take the remaining sugar rooster and held it up for him to eat. He kept his eyes fixed on where he could feel her eyes gazing at him from behind the veil, allowing her to see and feel every ounce of love he possessed for her and her alone. The platter was then removed and then the goblet was placed between them. Both could see it was filled with a rich, red wine.

I've never had wine before, Sakura stated in his mind as he reached down for the goblet.

Neither have I, he admitted. But this is part of the ceremony, to consecrate the whole act. Just take a slow sip. 

And he demonstrated by placing the goblet between both his hands and taking a slow sip from it. The wine was warm and sweet on his tongue, unlike what he had expected it to taste. It was actually quite drinkable. He then held the wine out to the sorceress. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her veil, as she had done only moments ago, to allow him to raise the goblet to her lips and help her drink. The wine was then taken away to begin the next and before final part of the wedding ceremony: the wedding tea ceremony. Seeing the immense size of the Li Clan, Sakura and Syaoran had been allowed to ask their friends for aid in serving tea to every family member present. They began with Li Lerae, humbly offering her a cup of tea in which had been placed lotus seeds and two red dates.

Lerae smiled at the sorceress, accepting the cup. "Welcome to our family, Li Sakura, Mistress of the Li Clan." she whispered so only the girl could hear.

Sakura bowed low to her in thanks, a thrilled smile hidden behind her veil on her lips. Her title had been given. She was now an accepted member of the powerful Li Clan. 

Moving from family member to family member, the bride and groom, with the help of their friends, offered tea to each and everyone present. In return they all received red envelopes, known as lai see, filled with either money or jewelry. Tomoyo was allowed to videotape the proceedings of the tea ceremony, much to her delight, on the promise that she made a copy of her video for everyone present. She happily agreed to have this opportunity. She managed to catch every secreted touch and glance between the young couple, as well as every smile the warrior offered to the veiled sorceress when he believed no one was watching.

"Kawaii!" she breathed ever so softly.

Finally, when everyone had been served, the young couple stepped back to the center of the temple and bowed to everyone collectively. Then they turned to the family altar and bowed to the elements, gods and ancestors in respect for being witnesses to the ceremony. At last they faced each other and bowed again. Before they even had a chance to straighten the crowd in audience erupted into applauds. Surprised, Sakura looked at everyone as they leapt to their feet to smile, cheer and applaud her and Syaoran.

It's alright, Sakura, the warrior soothed. They're just congratulating us. The ceremony is over now. 

He felt her mind light up brightly from the happiest smile he had ever sensed from her. It was a heartwarming sensation that warmed him to his very core. One more reason he loved her so much. Those blessed smiles of hers that could be felt even from miles away. Lerae approached the married pair at this point, smiling proudly at both of them. She bowed slightly from the waist.

"Allow me to be the first to formally congratulate you both on your nuptials. Also allow me to invite you to partake of our celebratory feast prepared in your honor."

Taking hold of each other's hand to remain close to each other, the wedded sorcerer and sorceress bowed in acceptance of the offer.

* * *

Keroberus spent most of his time walking around the large Reception Hall, stopping here and there to speak to some of the Li Clansmen or just answering questions from his Mistress's friends. They still had quite a few queries to pose him regarding his presence, the Clow Cards, and Sakura's involvement in it all. He had done this for the last week of this celebration now. It was a grand affair, reminding the Beast of the old days. All the tabled were set very low, everyone seated on plush pillows of the ground. Delicate music wafted through the air, a gentle contrast to the delicious aromas coming from all the succulent dishes served to the revelers. Standing next to his Mistress and her husband was Li Ann-Lee. Keroberus had to smile at the elderly woman. As spokeswoman it had been her duty to arrange that both Sakura's Otou-san and Onii-chan accept this wedding to the young warrior. Not an easy task, knowing Kinomoto Touya. And now it was Ann-Lee's task to make sure the banquet went smoothly for all the guests. Seven days and she showed no sign of tiring, or running out of words of wisdom and blessing for all her toasts to the happy couple. This seemed to be a recurring trait in the Li Clan, their seeming lack of need for sleep. Many times during this elongated celebration, the Card Mistress's friends and blood relatives had dozed off many times, as well as Sakura herself. Keroberus had yet to see even one Li yawn, though he was starting to see wary circles form under eyes here and there.

He looked to his Mistress and his new Master seated at the place of honor at the traditional feast. Sakura's head was resting against Syaoran's shoulder to rest a little while the warrior spoke with some of the Elders seated at his side. Keroberus smiled again. Even if he couldn't see her face behind her red veil, he knew she was comfortable with the sorcerer. In the sever days that the banquet had taken place the young sorceress had been urged to change kimono a total of twenty eight times, four times each day. This had thoroughly pleased Tomoyo since it had meant her friend got to wear each and every item she had designed specially for her. Presently the dozing Card Mistress wore a white silk kimono on which had been embroidered delicate clusters of cherry blossoms. She still wore the elaborate Phoenix headpiece as required by tradition. She would only be allowed to show her face when she and Syaoran would finally be alone. With another small smile curling up the corners of his lips, mighty Keroberus approached Li Lerae, sitting at the honor table, and nudged her arm gently with his nose to gain her attention. She met his golden eyes in curiosity.

"Keroberus-san?"

"Li-san, I think it's about time to call an end to the party." He motioned out to the guests with a jerk of his head. "Some of your guests are falling asleep in their plates. Others are just now starting to look pretty tired. Seven days is a long time to be awake. Even Sakura is nodding off over there, though I doubt Li minds."

Lerae nodded. "Perhaps this was a little extravagant. I merely wished this to be a grand celebration banquet befitting of my Son, the Card Mistress, and their union."

"Well, you succeeded wonderfully."

"Arigatou. But you are right, Guardian. Enough time has passed."

"Hai. As Card Captors they need their sleep to be alert and have enough energy to catch the next Clow Card that pops up."

"And to produce many heirs to their line. Lack of sleep merely hinders this process. Onegai, will you tell Ann-Lee of this decision?"

The Guardian Beast of the Seal looked across the Reception Hall to the toasting dajin and nodded in acceptance before walking off towards her. He bumped his shoulder into Ann-Lee's leg to get her to look down at him. From the corner of his eye Li Syaoran saw his Aunt speaking with the Guardian Beast and immediately knew the content of their conversation. They were about to call an end to the festivities.

At last!

Truth be known he, too, had begun to feel a little fatigued. Seven days was sorely testing his limits as a warrior and a sorcerer. He was also anxious to finally be alone with his angel, his wife, though he doubted anything would be done this night. He could feel her exhaustion from having willingly forced herself to stay as awake as possible after so much time. It pained him to have to rouse her. Being ever so gentle he woke his bride with a slight shake. She mumbled something incoherent, halfway between the waking world and the dream world.

"Sakura." he called softly. "You have to wake up, Love. It's time to bid our guests goodnight."

"Bid out guests goodnight?" she muttered sleepily.

"Hai, then we can go get some sleep."

She nodded drowsily and he carefully helped her to her feet, steering her towards the door while supporting her.

"Attention, minna!" Ann-Lee announced in a clear, loud voice. "The bride and groom, and their respected families, would like to thank you all for being witness to their wedding and for joining them during these seven long days of celebration! But now, seeing as it is getting rather late... again... they wish to bid you all goodnight and good rest! Oyasumi!"

Standing near the door the exhausted Card Mistress was barely aware of all the people filing out before her or of the well-wishings and blessings each gave as they passed. She was much too tired. It took everything she had to merely remain standing and also to bow to each guest in some semblance of acknowledgement. Syaoran easily felt this from her and kept a watchful eye on her reactions and movements just in case anything happened. So when the last guest left and she began to topple over, he was right there and ready to catch her to break her fall. Both his Okaa-san and her family gathered in close around them, worried about the lithe cheerleader he held.

"She's alright." the warrior reassured the group. "She's just exhausted." and he carefully lifted his wife into his arms, cradling her close to his chest. "Trying to stay awake for a week long party is a little too much for my Ying Fa."

Sonomi blinked. "Ying Fa?"

"It means cherry blossom." Meilin explained patiently.

"Very appropriate." Tsukishiro smiled.

Fujitaka smiled down at the young man holding Sakura ever so tenderly in his arms. "Take good care of my little girl, Li."

"That means behave." Touya snapped with a frown.

Tomoyo almost glared at him. "Touya, they're married now."

"Your point?"

"They don't have to behave!"

Syaoran chuckled silently at them, then returned his attention to his Father-in-Law. "She'll be well cared for, Kinomoto-san. I plan to grant her any and all wishes she might have."

Yukito chuckled. "Sakura always was a hopeless romantic at heart. She'll like that."

"She be spoilt rotten every single day of our lives together."

"Of that we all have no doubt." Lerae smiled, then placed a gently kiss on her Son's forehead. "The house has been prepared for your arrival. Ann-Lee will take you there."

"Arigatou, Ma-Ma."

"I'm coming too." Tomoyo suddenly announced. "There's no way I'm missing a single kawaii moment of the Universe's most perfect couple." and she chased after Ann-Lee and the newlyweds already stepping out into the depth of the night beyond the doors.

The groom raised a wondering eyebrow to his friend. You do know nothing will happen tonight, not that you'll be allowed to film if anything does happen."

"I know." she grinned. "But I can always hope to capture some sweetness between you, ne?"

"Hopeless." he muttered with a shake of his head.

"So what's this house your Okaa-san mentioned?"

"It's a residence that was finished just last year. It hasn't been lived in yet since it was meant for me after I got married. You know, a private home away from the main house of the estate. It's pretty secluded from everything."

She sighed in bliss. "How romantic."

"It's a very lovely home for our Xiao Lang and his bride." Ann-Lee added, then looked at her Nephew. "Will you be wanting attendants living there full time in the servants' quarters?"

He winked with a roguish grin. "I'll let you know."

They continued on the rest of the way in silence, following a meticulously kept path of interlocking cobblestones that cut through the lush foliage of the isle of Bing Di Lian. Small lanterns set along the path were the only source of light to see by. Going around another bend in the path the small group came upon a gate made of iron set into a tall, lengthy stone wall. Beyond the wall lay an immense single level house built in the traditional Chinese design. Everything of this edifice was made either of paper, cherry wood, red clay or white washed stones. Tomoyo could tell that this house would be incredible when seen in daylight. Ann-Lee let the way over the thriving grounds and through the house's main door. The house was wired with electricity for convenience and comfort, the lights kept dim to add more romance to the ambiance. It was an elegantly designed interior, colored in simple whites and pale bamboo. After the entryway, one had to walk up a step to enter the vast living room with its plush cream colored and cherry wood furniture. A cozy dining table had been set up near a bay window, an island counter dividing this eating space from the kitchen. Tomoyo got a chance to see the rest of the house in fleeting glances as she followed her friends to the master bedroom at the back of the dwelling. A den, a training room, a dining room for entertaining more formal gatherings, and five guestrooms that would no doubt someday be converted into children's rooms. Ann-Lee opened the door to the dimly lit master bedroom, revealing bamboo trimmed white walls and a burgundy red bed set in a cherry wood frame. Syaoran walked over to the bed and carefully set his wife down on the downy mattress. 

She stirred lightly. "... Syaoran...?"

"Shh, I'm right here, Sakura. We're... home." He couldn't help but smile at his own words. His home was now her home.

With a barely perceivable nod, Sakura sat up drowsily, her hand reaching for the Phoenix headpiece she had worn all this time. He caught her hand in his to stop her and set it aside as he kneeled before her. She didn't have the strength to resist. With Tomoyo's help Syaoran cautiously removed the pins holding the headpiece in place and too it off Sakura's head, veil and all. The warrior smiled at his sleepy sorceress, then delicately cupped her cheek. Her green eyes fluttered open at his touch and looked up to glow lovingly at her soul mate. He ran a hand through her silky hair, favoring her with a gentle smile.

"Why don't you go take a hot shower. It'll help you relax and you'll sleep better." he told her, keeping his voice soft.

She nodded blearily, feeling his lips touch hers in an almost ephemeral embrace.

"I'll be back in a bit, I'm just going to show Tomoyo and Ann-Lee out, okay?" he continued.

"... Okay..." she near slurred.

Syaoran aided her back to her feet, then steered the tired Card Mistress towards the adjoining bathroom. Once he was sure she would be alright he closed he door and returned his attention to his guests, motioning them back out of the room.

"Arigatou for all your help, Ann-Lee." the warrior stated. "I would've never gotten Touya's permission for this without you."

Li Ann-Lee waved it off casually. "It was my pleasure, Xiao Lang. It is a real joy to see you so happy with the woman of your choosing, not the Elders. You cherish quite a bit and she loves you dearly."

He smiled and looked to Tomoyo. "And you. Friend, nuisance, support and confidante all wrapped into one neat package with a video camera. I'm actually going to miss you being around and taping us every second."

The Daidouji teen grinned impishly. "Not to worry, Li, I taught your Sisters how to use a high resolution digital camera."

Syaoran groaned. "I should've known." He suddenly smiled at her. "But domo arigatou for always being there at our best and our worst."

"Just take care of my Sakura and you can call it all even." she told him, giving her friend a quick hug.

He chuckled when she released him. "Deal."

Bidding him a final goodnight, both women finally left the nuptial residence to return to the main house of the Li Clan estate. Moving back into his new home Syaoran paused at each room, first to dream of the future these rooms would see, then to turn off the lights for the night. The walls would someday echo with the sounds of children. He smiled to himself at that thought. They would be beautiful children because of Sakura rich innocence and allure, and magically strong due to both of their magic. And they would be their children. He returned to the room he would share every night and morning with Sakura and stopped at the door. His sorceress had already finished her shower. She was lying in bed, facing the door, and was sound asleep. She wore a white, nearly sheer lace nightgown that fell in a loose skirt to her mid-thigh. The collar scooped low and the cuffs puffed loosely on her forearms. Syaoran smiled at the adorable picture she made with her hand tucked under her cheek. Silently he made his way to the bathroom, his nose immediately struck by the sweet scent of honey, heather and cherry blossoms as he crossed the door. The warrior took a quick shower to wash away seven days of weary fatigue, his mind and body relaxing to the heat of the water. He could feel his skin tingle pleasantly at the thought of what the future now held for him and his beloved soul mate. When he was done washing up he slipped into a pair of light cotton pyjama pants and silently re-entered the bedroom. Sakura hadn't moved. A small smile came to his lips. The last week had been truly exhausting for her. She wasn't used to the Li discipline of remaining alert and awake for days on end. As silently as possible he crept into the bed next to his new wife and gently pulled the silk covers up over the both of them. He snaked his arm around her slim waist and pressed up close to her back, inhaling her ever-present sweet scent. A small cry escaped her parted lips as she slept on, nestling herself back against her husband's chest. It was a purely unconscious move on her part, but it warmed Syaoran's heart to know she was this comfortable with him around. He held her close, nuzzling the sensitive spot just behind her ear. The days that would follow would be amazing, but none more than in the morning.

Tomorrow would be their first real day as husband and wife.

Syaoran smiled, closing his eyes as sleep began to take him. He kissed Sakura behind the ear tenderly.

"Aishiteru, Sakura... Now and always."

**_THE END!!!_**

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